Top-ranked bantamweight contender, Aljamain Sterling, spoke to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto prior to his UFC 259 title fight bout. ‘The Funkmaster’ will challenge Petr Yan in what will be the first title defense for the Russian. The aforementioned bout is rooted in meritocracy, as Sterling is the clear number one contender. He has gone through the top crop of bantamweight fighters present in the weight class.

Aljamain Sterling is on a five-fight win streak and his last loss came all the way back in December 2017. He’s fresh off a win over Cory Sandhagen where he managed to submit ‘The Sandman’ in round 1. Sterling has demanded the attention of UFC fans with his performances, and he now prepares himself to scalp gold.

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Aljamain Sterling speaks on his dietary vices

The 19-3 fighter has always been endeared by fans for his candid nature, and it was on full display when talking to Okamoto. Sterling revealed that he enjoys all things sweet in his diet and explained how he’s able to remain focused on his diet only during a training camp.

He said, “It’s tough for sure. I’m big into sweets so I love chocolate, I love ice cream, I love chocolate cookies… I eat, I just eat. I’m not the cleanest eater, but when it comes to training, I can dial it in a lot better. When it’s outside training camp, that’s when I just let the reins go and kind of just go off the wagon a little bit.”

‘The Funkmaster’: What does it take to be great?

Sterling explained that tailoring a diet to his choice is what keeps him motivated and mentally fortified. He said that he might not compete in MMA if he couldn’t skip to the beat of his own drum.

“I always tell my teammates and stuff because sometimes they watch the stuff that I eat and they’re like ‘Why are you having that?’. ‘You shouldn’t be having that, and I’m like ‘Dude, I’ve been doing this for years’.

I know the system in terms of like if I have just this little bit amount it will make me feel better mentally, and it’s kind of a like a moderation thing. If I have to give everything up completely to do this sport, I don’t think I would be doing it, to be honest.”

The Longo-Serra Fight team standout prepares for the biggest scrap of his professional career. His candid interview provides an honest look into what it takes for a fighter to gear up for a marquee title clash.

Can ‘Funkmaster’ realize UFC gold and prove to the world that dietary choices do not impede a fighter in attaining world championship glory?