Daniel Cormier wants fans to stop booing Aljamain Sterling.
At UFC 288, Sterling defended the UFC bantamweight world championship for the third time with a split decision win against Henry Cejudo. Despite adding another impressive name to his resume, ‘Funk Master’ was booed after getting his hand raised in front of the New Jersey crowd, which was supposed to generate hometown support.
During a reaction video on his YouTube channel, Cormer had this to say about the crowd turning on Sterling:
“Guys, stop booing Aljamain, stop booing Aljamain Sterling. Give this man his respect. This dude is doing everything you want as a champion. He’s active, he fights the best guys that they put in front of him, he wins fights, he carries himself in the way of a champion. It’s time to stop booing Aljamain Sterling.”
Sterling’s win against ‘Triple C’ extended his win streak to nine fights. Although some fans still don’t respect him, ‘Funk Master’ has emerged as arguably the greatest 135-pound fighter of all time. He looks to continue building his resume with another title defense later this year.
Watch Daniel Cormier’s UFC 288 reaction video below:
Daniel Cormier doesn’t understand why Aljamain Sterling was booed at UFC 288
Aljamain Sterling’s last four wins are against former UFC champions – Petr Yan x2, TJ Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo. With that said, the 33-year-old isn’t getting the respect he deserves from fans. It’s one thing to get booed in someone’s hometown, but Sterling getting booed in front of what was supposed to be his crowd was surprising.
During the same YouTube video, Daniel Cormier expressed his confusion about the UFC 288 crowd not supporting Sterling by saying:
“It sucks that this happens time and time again and in Newark, New Jersey, which is very close to New York, Aljo is getting booed. It really made no sense. I don’t know what this man has to do to garner your respect. If tonight wasn’t enough, you’re just never gonna be satisfied.”
Shortly after getting his hand raised, Sterling called out Sean O’Malley, who was sitting cageside. O’Malley entered the Octagon and had an intense faceoff with the 135-pound king. During the post-fight press conference, Dana White announced that the UFC wants the title fight to happen on August 19 at UFC 292 in Boston.
Sean O’Malley and Aljamain Sterling exchanged words in the octagon at #UFC288 pic.twitter.com/DfJPjR0JnE
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 7, 2023
