It is not every day SUNY Cortland gets to brag that one of their very own has made it in the big leagues of sports. And it is even more rare to see somebody from our very own school on the world stage defending one of the most prestigious titles in Athletics.
Aljamain Sterling, the current UFC Bantamweight champion of the world, will be defending his title for the third time on May 6th, against Henry Cejudo. There was much speculation about if this would happen but Aljamain confirmed on his podcast, “I’m fighting May 6 against Henry Cejudo and I’m looking forward to the challenge”.
Cejudo, who is a former champion, retired 3 years back and hasn’t fought since. His first time in the octagon after his long hiatus will be against Sterling for the Bantamweight title.
Both fighters have an extensive background in Mixed Martial Arts, and both have roots in wrestling and grappling, starting in their early years.
For Sterling, He began back in High School In Long Island, New York. He attended Baldwin High School, where he began wrestling his freshman year to avoid the dangerous environment that his hometown has succumbed to. After graduating, he began college at SUNY Morrisville, where he continued wrestling. During his time here, he met the current number 1 pound-for-pound UFC Fighter, Jon Jones through the sport. This is what sparked his interest in MMA.
Eventually, Sterling transferred to SUNY Cortland where he began studying physical education. He continued to wrestle for the Red Dragons, but also made frequent trips to Ithaca to train at Jon Jones’ MMA Gym in Ithaca, The BombSquad. Sterling eventually went on to become an All-American Wrestler for Cortland. After graduating he continued his MMA training and eventually made it to the UFC Where he secured his first win in 2014.
After many years of Hard work and dedication and moving himself up the ranks. Sterling was granted a title shot against then champion, Petr Yan. This fight ended in a no contest after Sterling was struck with an illegal knee by Yan. This bout was re-fought in April 2022 where Sterling won by decision and secured his spot as champion. Since then he has defended the belt against one other former champion, TJ Dillishaw.
This upcoming bout has built up a lot of anticipation and debate amongst fans. Many say that Sterling will have no issue beating Cejudo as Henry has not seen the cage in almost the span of an average MMA Career. Others argue that Cejudo will make a comeback like no other after having years of rest and training.
Cejudo, a former Olympic and UFC Champion, is very confident that he will have no issue with Sterling as he mentioned in a conference with Daniel Cormier, saying, “He won the Belt Via Academy Award”, Referring to the no contest match where Aljamain suffered a fractured spine due to Petr Yan’s illegal knee and gained the belt by technicality. However, Aljamain continues to prove his doubters wrong by beating the best of the best and staying on top.
It will be interesting to see how this all pans out. Hopefully SUNY Cortland will continue to be home to the reigning UFC Bantamweight Champion.
