Aljamain Sterling will be facing Augusto Mendes at UFC On Fox 24 and he will be entering the bout on a two fight losing skid.
Sterling has let outside factors dictate his fighting style in the past and that’s no longer the case.
“You need to be true to yourself and do what got you there,” Sterling said to MMA Junkie. “That’s pretty much the theme for this fight camp, for myself and Weidman. Just doing what got us here, going back to the basics and using our wrestling arsenal that we’ve been gifted with and put a lot of hard work and years into. I want this so bad. I never thought I’d see myself on this side of the fence, even though I always knew it was possible.”
The two losses sterling has suffered came to Bryan Caraway and Raphael Assuncao.
Mendes may not be the most well-known fighter in the UFC, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a serious threat for Sterling.
“Even if the fight goes to the ground, he’s going to be comfortable off his back,” he said. “But I’m not sure he’s going to be comfortable with elbows being driven into his face. I’m going to fight that fight exactly how I started Round 3 against Raphael Assuncao. Push the pace, and eventually, the guy’s going to break.”
UFC On Fox 24 takes place on Saturday, April 15 from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri with Demetrious Johnson and Wilson Reis headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
