Aljamain Sterling on Francis Ngannou vs. UFC: ‘Both Sides Messed Up’ | The MMA Hour

Aljamain Sterling discusses his recent arm injury, what’s the latest on the possibly Henry Cejudo fight at UFC 285, how long he might be out, Francis Ngannou’s departure, who might be next, his first movie, and more.
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[@JHARD34]

Hilarious that he has to explain all his jokes. Ariel stone face not laughing is funnier than any joke Aljo said

[@zx208]

He's not a comedian, we won't make you laugh, he will beat the living shi out you tho, he's a fighter

[@bosscocky7888]

Yeah dude. You could hear the crickets chirp when he told Ariel a joke lmfao

[@nunyabizwacks6711]

Aljamain "im gonna impregnate all the kids" Sterling

[@PrinceSlap]

Ariel “You look huge” Helwani back at it again! 😂

[@oprahsminge4408]

Aljo is juiced to the gills bruh

[@jayfaulkner2602]

@@oprahsminge4408 good meme

[@matthewcarter6203]

Great interview with aljo. I wish all the champs were this real with it.

[@TheTexxxan]

I wasn’t a fan of Ariel, but I am now. As for the fighters, I’m a fan of all of them. Not just anyone can do what they do.

[@Priestwhitelotus]

Aljo is a good dude, absolutely mind blowing this man receives any hate..

[@jamest3085]

its from the first yan fight, has been overblown now though. Shouldve stopped after he beat him in the second fight

[@EraserTraceur]

Aljos growing on me i have to say.... This is the first sensical thing i have heard about this whole situation so far...

[@bosscocky7888]

I gotta say Ariel earns my respect due to the fact that he stands his ground despite the odds. He’s quite humble too. Not my favourite, but definitely doesn’t deserve the hate he receives. The man has done a lot for the MMA community. Aljo has to work on his media skills to become more likeable. better fighter than people give him credit for.

[@allybaapp1053]

He ain’t humble bro. Dude is full of himself.

[@imma5761]

Ariel said to Izzy that he would slap Alex Pereiras kid. Ariel is the, same guy who hates DA apparently.

[@Bbknuckles]

@@imma5761 lol that’s way out of context! Why do people (like yourself) insist on being disingenuous? Weird behavior.

[@takoflame4948]

@@allybaapp1053 he legit uses these fighters. he has nothing ot lose and fighter has all to lose

[@kyleinggo]

I don't get the hate with Aljo. I like this guy!

[@yungjefe7423]

Main thing that I’ve noticed is even though he is legit his two title defenses weren’t. He talks like he’s a world beater that unbeatable, he was getting his ass beat and won the belt from a dq. Defends the title in a controversial win then defends against an old Tj with one arm. He does it to himself when he gets in these interviews and talks himself up like he does. He’s a likeable guy outside of all that but I think he’s aware of what he’s doing, he knows people are going to tune in to watch him lose.

[@kyleinggo]

@@yungjefe7423 I mean he's not exactly my favorite in that DQ extravaganza but they fought again and he won. That should be enough to cross that DQ incident aside. He's now the champion and the best 135er unless someone beats him again. And he's good at interviews as well that's why I'm wondering why he has so many haters

[@MDP673NJ1]

Always a great interview with Aljo. I don't get the hate. He defended 2 times last year and just fought in October...others fight once a year or less...interestingly enough mostly the same people criticizing Aljo had no problem with Khabib and others fighting once a year

[@teish]

He’s a bum

[@francmittelo6731]

He is Black. He will be judged more harshly for any perceived "missteps" by the fans. Yes, I am WOKE and I am pulling the race card. Dustin Poirier quit after Eddie Alvarez GRAZED with an illegal knee. No fan outrage. Chris Weidman tried to play games and quit, and he was kneed to a defeat by Gegard Mousasi. No fan outrage. Skin color was the only major difference between Poirier, Weidman and Sterling.

[@teish]

@@francmittelo6731 Get outta here. Israel, Usman and Ngannou are black and are well respected and amazing champions. Usman and Izzy took on everyone, fought regularly and were respectful. Ngannou fought with a injury. Aljo is a bum.

[@psychopathichomosapien]

nah bro, a lot of khabib fans like him too, he train with zabit

[@jonathantee5355]

You trying to tell me he's active? OK 👍

[@wrexshunt]

Nice lad great interview xx

[@oparisleclerc]

I really like Aljo's chill personality, he got a bad rap for a while after the first Petr Yan fight, but in my book, he bounced back and he proved everyone wrong. He should get his respect.

[@GORILLABREATH1]

Put some " respeck' on thaT NAME...BOYEEEEEEE !

[@LOKITYZ]

He needs a big fight. He's been unfortunate in terms of fights. The way he won the belt. His defense of it where a lot of people still think Jan won, despite the control he had. TJ Dillashaw being injured. He's really been unlucky.

[@52baldingindianjanitor72]

Only one that messed up is the UFC. They've been disrespecting Francis from the beginning, I have insane respect for Francis for standing his ground and willing to walk away. Hopefully other fighters join him in testing free agency.

[@kanthony9154]

Francis messed up

[@grandmastersub]

I dont agree w the UFC one bit, but they got the leverage in this one and as we saw, Gane vs Jones was made and they moved on..😂

[@Saulgoodman94]

You will all forget about him within one year max without ufc he’s got nothing but pfl with Jake Paul or if Tyson fury decided to give him big payday for boxing

[@SSFYHHH]

How can you say that when you don't even know what terms and money were being negotiated? You're just buying into the anti ufc hype like everyone

[@Soxxik]

Lol Ngannou ain’t gonna have any pull outside of the UFC. He acts like he ran through the UFC, he has the worst HW fight in history in his legacy.

[@warrend2880]

Great interview, I really enjoyed listening to Aljo..well spoken very engaging and funny. A new found respect for this man, looking forward to his next fight..will be rooting for him!

[@lerobshow6300]

One fight that I see no one talking about that I would DEFINITELY pay for is Ngannou vs Wilder. That would be an amazing fight.

[@Canonall]

Helwani literally mentioned that one in his Monologe.

[@andymccreight3175]

Not particularly. Ngannou gets smoked with absolute ease

[@mmasenshi]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@nunyabizwacks6711]

@@andymccreight3175 stands a better chance against Wilder than Fury tho for sure

[@theguvnor3880]

Sterling vs Chito is the fight I want to see.

[@BoogeymanIX]

Sterling finds the sub

[@andrewbudiman1310]

AlJO STALLING

[@KnownProphet]

100%

[@brandonluther80]

Sterling this is a perfect time to stand up for yourself and others.

[@alphag5240]

He doesn't want to show up like TJ , is it too hard to understand?

[@jaseallenson316]

Either way, the "fallout" from this will be Dana getting what he wants. SUGA getting a title shot and avoiding aljo amd henry. Henry isnt coming back period. And aljo will delay his next fight(whether the injiry is real or he is working with Dana under the table) and eventually give up the belt(or get stripped) and move up.

[@nunyabizwacks6711]

@@jaseallenson316 right. I'll believe Henry is coming back when hes literally walking to the cage

[@jdelrio6492]

Aljos Bobby green impression was pretty good

[@joelpagan9670]

It be Conor fans the one saying Aljo is holding up the division. 😂😂

[@nerwikmascot]

aljo is so cool to listen to, enjoyable much

[@DESPISEDIC0N]

I’ve been sleeping on aljo out side of the cage. He was cracking me up during this 😂😂

[@AZ-kh9bf]

Nah bros funny fr lmao

[@nunyabizwacks6711]

Aljamain "im gonna impregnate all the kids" Sterling

[@dannytran1587]

Same I really never liked him ever since that Yan DQ but he’s kinda alright

[@DavidNunezPNW]

Collective action!

[@robertg305]

30:17 Ok now that’s effing hilarious lol

[@TeemoForLife]

They forcing/pressuring aljo when they can just make interim Henry Sean lol

[@Antstrumentals]

“Injecting his body with god knows what” 😂 this guys dad trash talk is hilarious

[@John3.16.17]

Aljo’s the man!!!

[@TwentyFourTigers]

Aljo's the man!

[@WoahWoahWoahHeavyMetal]

Cry baby*

[@briantneary2248]

I'm glad Aljo isnt getting hate anymore. He's a legit champion and a good dude.

[@mohdnafisraza7142]

Sterling is a funny guy, cracked me up a lot

[@danielpenn5265]

It's hilarious Aljo pulls the race card on Cejudo about Hennessy, while making a burrito joke about Cejudo and calling Marlon a Cholo in the same interview 😂 classic Aljo

[@ed3124]

Love Aljo

[@mrgoodcat899]

Ya know what…. You bloody tell them Aljo lad, he’s gained respect from me lately so I can’t complain at the guy

[@reekhavoc2932]

I used to listen to weekly scraps a lot...time to get back at it

[@user-fx5cd4px3k]

Aljo is a good dood

[@OrganicGonzalez]

SPINNING BACK FIST 👊

[@neslyleonvil606]

Overall aljo is a great guy ,I’ve trained with him before and he was a great guy while I was there but I do understand where the so called hate comes from. He tends to lean in to the trolling and instead of simply saying hey guys I understand why y’all don’t feel I’m a real champion and I want to prove I’m deserving of the belt he basically blamed it all on yan also not to mention he would cry everyone is ducking him and then becomes champ and all of a sudden has all these but in his defense the goal at the end of the day is to get the belt and keep it but he also has to realize the fans pay the bills so keep them happy or if you want to play the heal then acknowledge that’s what it is

[@iceman463864]

Disagree w fans paying the bills. He has An agreed upon amount of pay every fight and you All would not buy his PPVS regardless of how he acted. So the fans literally have 0 impact they will always find a way to hate on aljo he jus needs to realize it’s a bunch of preteens on Twitter and to ignore the noise.

[@KikoBarboza]

Aljo needs more respect he’s a great champion

[@brandoloudly9457]

what's aljo's channel's name? no link in the description guys? CUUHHH MONNNN

[@SuperT44]

Aljo should get a couple more defences at Bantam then move up to Lightweight. Camps will be less stressful on his body and it opens up a lot of interesting matchups 🤔.

[@milkyway6508]

So jump 2 weight classes? Why lightweight before going to Featherweight?

[@brandonluther80]

Al you are the champ

[@davidwilliamson8502]

Aljo spitting facts, both sides carry a lot of fault.

[@nonamepyro6176]

It's not if he don't fight in March he answered that by saying if Henry wants to wait for me so you know dam well March isn't happening but I think also would b stupid to not want to be on tjat card bc of the main event and he get ppv points

[@neilthomas-dixon4040]

Big Aljo Mazza

[@jbizzle1593]

I just don't understand why people give Aljo so much hate...He's a good dude!

[@breadman5048]

Aljo hilarious good to see him shake off the BS from before

[@12thandmarket]

Everyone on the show defending the ufc today

[@MattAnyiwo]

People really hate on Aljo even though he’s one of the realest fighters out there

[@kyledavis7292]

Francis wasn't about the money he already stated that he wanted the UFC to fundamentally change who they were and they wasn't gonna do that so they went their separate

[@osmarglez6205]

He seems LIKE a geniune guy but sometimes acts a certain way that most people dont LIKE.

[@jockdeeznutz]

Exactly. I wasn’t a fan of his until this interview. Seems like a pretty cool guy

[@XxPunxunite]

LIKE LIKE

[@fadya.3660]

“These are all my sons. I’m going to impregnate them one by one.” Good to know Aljo impregnates his sons. Such a great interview until he started attempting to talk trash lmao

[@nunyabizwacks6711]

i know i already been going around on here commenting Aljamain "im gonna impregnate all the kids" Sterling

[@Michael-yl6gd]

Ariel you are the best brother

[@matthewmbonu3159]

So glad this guy didn't just blindly agree with Ariel super biased perspective on the Francis thing 🤣🤣 he really tries with these leading ass questions nice to see someone respond with balanced measured points

[@562XXXXX]

Love the show but yeah you do notice Ariel’s questioning style lol always fishing for the answer he wants

[@rconn4501]

Aljo, Leon, & Woodley are amongst 3 great, black fighters that just do NOT move the needle! Black Beast is the HW Nate nowadays...

[@TheJwhaley]

Bro you took almost a year in between the petr fights

[@RogerWeatherman]

Sterling looks good.

[@eastcoastshine2009]

Hey Aljo people listen to Ariel mma hour podcast more than yours because it's been around for decades and has damn near everyone from fight world as guests. Meanwhile ya show is a recent launch and its only about you. LOL. If Ariel had a show just about his life you'd be smoking him

[@brandonluther80]

I'm wondering is maybe Francis leaving is part of the show? Jones vs Ngannu is a bigger ppv if they are fighting cross promotion. Advertising as the true WORLD CHAMPION

[@flipdawhip2573]

Aljo cool

[@EuroMaidanWasAnInsurrection]

He aint fighting anytime soon. You can just tell from the way he's talking about it. I get it. Take time off. You will get your crack at it. But in the meantime intern title is gonna be O'Malley vs Triple C. Which im glad he's cool with.

[@jaseallenson316]

100%. I been saying for a while the aljo henry fight wont happen. And the ufc will somehow avoid having omally fight aljo. I highly doubt omalley even fights cejudo. My bet is somehow, someway omalley will fight the winner of corey/chito for a vacated belt. I dont think aljo fights at bantamweight again. I guess the cejudo/omalley fight could actually happen but i think the ufc will try to avoid it if they can. Thing is, the sport has been slowing a bit and the ufc/dana has been taking heat lately so they might be desperate. Cuz everyone knows, they want omalley to get the belt. And of course its a big risk putting him against henry. Especially if its in march. Omalley hasnt sounded like he's been planning on fighting to middle of the year.

[@GORILLABREATH1]

AFTER the 2nd Yan fight I gotta put some ..respesk on Aljo's name !!1

[@brandonluther80]

Now we know Francis highest paid ever deal since Jones signed for eight fights. They weren't offering more money per fight

[@charlescharlemagne4907]

12:02 ...wow, playing the race card, lame. Just say Tequilla. Doubt Henry will be offended. Of course Ariel plays right along

[@user-dc9yv4rf1f]

Umar is coming for you bro Your days on holding the title are numbered

[@SLADEYBMX]

Don't tip toe around it man, your the fn Champ, say it proudly

[@silverape9596]

Is this pre recorder? He mentions jones v Francis that’s been out the question for like 3 days

[@spvc4696]

I think Henry is funny man. Dude he's funny ash.

[@brandonluther80]

I think Al vs. Henry is a better fight than Pico vs. Ciral

[@iceman463864]

I like Aljo he's a genuine dude but my god man stay off social media. Literally every single fighter/ celebrity on Earth has negativity all over their social media but it seems like Aljo doesnt understand its part of the fame game. EVERYONE gets hella hate regardless you just learn not to read it while this guy is taking every comment personal. I just dont get why every interview is this guy trying to defend against twitter narratives that he doesnt realize are literally preteens in their mom basement. He would be soooooooo much better off focusing that energy elsewhere needs to stop being stubborn about interacting on social media.

[@iceman463864]

People rock with Aljo but when you constantly defending/explaining yourself you're missing the point. The internet is for trolls they dont care about the truth they will troll regardless and he stays feeding into it. He's too prideful about it bro jus ignore them and stop explaining yourself.

[@simonbailey7082]

Defo not fighting march 4th🤷‍♂️ nice guy but longing it out hard

[@iamlegend3674]

The thing regarding with bpc-157 is that there has been no official trial on humans. And has been experimented only in mice.

[@KJOzz]

Don’t fight wait till you’re completely healed.

[@brandonbey8878]

We ALL know why these ‘fans’ don’t like Aljo. It’s pretty obvious at this point. Cause to still hate on him right now defies normal logic.

[@brandonbey8878]

@@OrbitStrike the race card? You’re a troll lol

[@SuperBlueMoonWA]

I think it's because petr yan fans are delusional

[@iceman463864]

you're speaking on a minority of fans and the only blacks ones that are universally loved are the company " yes sir dana we'll do whatever you like" ones aka cormier and kevin holland .

[@ThaTruth223]

@@OrbitStrike the fans didn’t like izzy, the fans turned on francis, and DC only became liked post fighting career. though i don’t agree with the OP, the first two guys aren’t as loved as you think. and look how the fans turned on both quick

[@ThaTruth223]

@@iceman463864 bobby green, chris curtis, all fall under that as well

[@Last_Chance.]

Aljo is so worried about what other people say and think. Smdh

[@dinobravo6686]

A lot of black fighters are like that. They understand who the audience is but I agree it's kind of humiliating

[@catchwreck928]

after all he went through too smh they literally was calling him the N word with the hard ER, and calling him a monkey and yet he still cant get on code. but whatever he will shill then lose, and the 2 fans he does have will abandon him smh. I wish i could turn back time and do MMA.

[@Evl.28239]

@@dinobravo6686

[@Evl.28239]

@@dinobravo6686

[@dinobravo6686]

@@Evl.28239 what up?

[@brandonluther80]

I'd rather see al vs. Henry than Jon vs ciral

[@BlakeLovesPoland]

aljo is so damn funny, love this guy

[@BigBiddnezz]

Never heard about his podcast till today. The Nose makes these yeuts famous

[@michaelpegano1003]

That means no he's not fighting in the March

[@cjsmith7032]

Mad respect to Aljo.. love how u handled the Francis issue bro.. ariel is biased and definitely against the ufc. FRANCIS MADE U HUGE MISTAKE PERIOD. I WISH HIM WELL THOUGH

[@seanw9074]

I think one picture literally ruined aljos career, the one where he just got kneed and hes posing like he's about to cry himself to death

[@mariofor-mck9834]

That picture MADE his career lol

[@seanw9074]

@@mariofor-mck9834 I guess the career of a heel. but he doesnt play it up. he doesnt want it like colby does lol

[@ahumblebarb7215]

Aljo really talking like he doesn't just backpack 🎒 his opponents

[@nunyabizwacks6711]

it works

[@AB-ho1cr]

Learn to setup your mic aljo and add a pop filter

[@nikatsitsilashvili8721]

It bothers me when everyone talking about all 135 weight fighters, except Merab. its looks like merab does not exist...

[@mgstrip]

love aljo

[@travishd1986]

It's so funny that Hennessey and Aunt Jemima is skirting the line but saying Henry has been sitting around eating burritos is perfectly fine 🤦‍♂️ ya'll are hypocrites

[@1spankit]

ALJO IS A BIG 135er and needs time to cut the weight correctly so let the champ pick when he wants to defend in 2023

[@oprahsminge4408]

Yeah no

[@ethanmartin8434]

I know aljo deserves respect and all, but i really hope he was joking when he said he was the draw for 280

[@Evl.28239]

you might of missed it but he literally said he was joking lol

[@nolan8023]

Sterling says so much without really saying anything

[@nunyabizwacks6711]

Aljamain "im gonna impregnate all the kids" Sterling

[@jonathantee5355]

Francis 2.0 here in the making ! and arile stooking the fire, God he just can't hold he's hate in for danna and ufc, quit bro

[@spvc4696]

I like Aljamain, he's a winner. But I'm not interested in the Bantamweight division.

[@dude7068]

Ariel has good points about how Francis was mistreated and the UFC and Dana is totally in the wrong. However, that said, trying to co opt NIcksick and ALJO to join along with your opinion about Dana is foolish as well as diminishes your points. Stand on your own two feet and back yourself. don't try to recruit others to join along with you. Make your statements and stand behind them yourself. If others want to contribute and add to your points, great. But pandering and seeking out agreement with you from fighters and trainers only shows your lack of conviction about your comments.

[@combatible]

who cares what Al-willing to hold up the division-Jermaine Sterling says.

[@kcjamdab2155]

Henry ccc is going 2 hurt this man

[@lyra797]

nah, hes too old

[@ihavetubes]

Sterling silver!

[@Last_Chance.]

Henry living rent free.

[@spinestar6581]

Aljamain is refreshing youtube to see view count but people are watching cuz it automatically brings up this vid. nobody tryin to watch aljo talk. at all!

[@flyguy7825]

NO the UFC messed up namely Dana White Money talks BS walks You can't expect loyalty in a business that ain't loyal to the fighters.

[@dowutado]

But I thought it was not about the money? It's business, UFC had their line Francis had his we all move on. Neither was able to get it done. The UFC will be fine and Francis will make lots of money.

[@flyguy7825]

@@dowutado It' was always about the business it's always about the money 💰

[@andrewbuckman7169]

U do know it’s not just Dana white😂😂. The trend of hating him for likes is hilarious

[@shadow_realm47]

@@andrewbuckman7169 Dana out here trying to make the best fight the best. The hate is ridiculous.

[@flyguy7825]

@@andrewbuckman7169 It is Dana White. He is the president. He runs the stuff so it is about him

[@Brian-uq4wu]

Ok but a grill? Automatic no thanks

[@mgstrip]

W

[@mrgreenbug4055]

You want to take L like a man? What happened in Peter yan fight?