The Long Island bantamweight had dropped three out of five fights after signing a much-hyped free-agent contract, most recently a brutal knockout loss at the hands of Marlon Moraes.
But Sterling righted the ship at UFC Atlantic City, as he beat Brett Johns in all aspects of the game to earn a unanimous-decision victory. The judges’ scores at Boardwalk Hall were 30-27 across the board.
“I had this fight to show that I’m still here, I’m one of the best in the division,” Sterling said.
Sterling outstruck, outwrestled, and simply outworked his Welsh opponent, getting the best of things wherever the bout went.