Aljamain Antoine Sterling (born July 31, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist.

[2] To stay away from the prevalent gang life in which some of his brothers joined, Sterling started wrestling at Uniondale High School in 2004.

[13][2] Unable to catch up with the grades to reach Division I, Sterling opted to enroll at Morrisville State College where he continued wrestling.

[2] During the time in Morrisville, Sterling developed an interest in MMA when he met Jon Jones and trained on the wrestling team.

[14] After his freshman year, Sterling transferred to Cortland and eventually became a two-time NCAA Division III All-American with a record of 87–27.

[16] While studying in Cortland, Sterling was invited by Jones to try out mixed martial arts at his gym of that time, The BombSquad in Ithaca, New York.

[20] Sterling started his professional career 2–0, before earning a shot at the ROC Bantamweight Championship.

[21] Although this would turn out to be his last bout under the Ring of Combat organization, as he would later sign with Cage Fury Fighting Championships.

Sterling defeated Sean Santella via unanimous decision to capture his second professional title.

Sterling finished all three of his title defenses by rear naked choke, which earned him the opportunity to compete in the UFC.

Sterling was expected to face Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine on October 4, 2014.

[27] Following a quick recovery, Sterling was promptly rebooked and was expected to face Frankie Saenz on November 8, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 55.

[28] However, Saenz was forced to withdraw from the bout and in turn promotional newcomer Michael Imperato was briefly linked as a replacement.

[37] Sterling was expected to face Raphael Assunção on December 9, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 102.

[47] Sterling was expected to face Rani Yahya on December 9, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 123.

[66] Sterling won the fight by disqualification due to an intentional illegal knee in the fourth round, becoming the new UFC Bantamweight Champion.

[74] Following a shoulder dislocation suffered by Dillashaw in the first, Sterling defended the title via TKO in the second round, marking his first victory by strikes in nearly eight years.

[84] On an episode of The MMA Hour following the win, Sterling confessed he would have considered retiring if he lost to Kattar.

[89] Sterling has also competed in submission grappling, defeating Damien Nitkin at High Rollerz 18 on August 13, 2022.

[90] Sterling was originally booked to compete in a superfight against Nathaniel Wood at Polaris 25 on September 30, 2023.

[93] Sterling faced Kevin Dantzler in the main event of Fury Pro Grappling 8 on December 30, 2023.

[94] The bout was largely uneventful, with Dantzler immediately sitting down and spending the entirety in bottom position.