Home

UFC

Aljamain Sterling Thanks Doctor and Medical Staff as He Begins His Road to Recovery

Published 04/16/2021, 11:28 PM EDT

Follow Us

After his disqualification win at UFC 259, Aljamain Sterling became the first fighter to claim the belt in that fashion. Following his triumph, ‘Funk Master’ opted to cure a niggling issue and underwent neck surgery. The fighter needed surgical procedures to get rid of the muscle weakness caused by the narrowing of the left neural foramen between the C6 and C7 vertebrae.

His surgery was successful, and he took to Instagram to show his appreciation towards his doctor and the entire medical team. ‘Funk Master’ said in his Instagram post, “HUGE thank you to Dr. Robert Watkins Jr for repairing my neck with an artificial disc replacement, at the C6-C7 level. Most of strength came back immediately and so far, there’s no more numbing or tingling pain!”

He further says, “The entire staff @cedarssinai were amazing, and I appreciate all of our conversations today.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Sterling added that he would share more of his recovery videos in the coming future. Rehabilitation and training will be important, as Sterling is all set to return in a title fight against Petr Yan, who was dominating before he landed the illegal knee in round 4.

What was Aljamain Sterling doing before his fight with Petr Yan?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

‘Funk Master’ (20-3) was on a five-match win streak before facing Yan. His win prior to the fight against ‘No Mercy’ came against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250. He won the fight via submission in the first round and earned his first ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus to seal his spot as the top contender.

His last loss came against Marlon Moraes, who defeated him via first-round KO in December 2017.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

via Getty

Sterling is expected to be out for the rest of the year, as the rehabilitation process will take time. Meanwhile, the UFC could make an interim title fight involving top contenders like Yan, Sandhagen, or Rob Font. What do you think about UFC’s plan going further? Will the challengers bide their time, or will they be as active as ‘Funk Master’ was before he became champion?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Akshyay Srichandan Mahapatra

552Articles

One take at a time

Akshyay Mahapatra is a UFC author for EssentiallySports. He wished to combine his passion for the UFC (that he has been following since 2008) as well as his love for writing. This motivated him to enter the world of combat sports journalism.
Show More>