UFC Albany: Aljamain Sterling Out of Fight With Injury
UFC Albany’s sub-par card has lost its lone contest between two contenders as Aljamain Sterling will not make it to fight night to take on Raphael Assuncao.
MMA Junkie first reported the injury to the standout UFC bantamweight.
UFC Albany has unfortunately lost its best contest. Aljamain Sterling, the seventh-ranked bantamweight according to Cage Pages, has pulled out of his fight with fifth-ranked Raphael Assuncao.
Since the event is in just 16 days, the promotion is seeking a US-based fighter to replace the injured New Yorker. A possibility would be the last man to beat Sterling, Bryan Caraway. Caraway has been hunting for a fight with Jimmie Rivera before Christmas, but if he is willing to take on a man who has beat him in the past, this could be a possibility.
Aljamain “The Funk Master” Sterling recently suffered the first loss of his career to top contender Bryan Caraway via split decision. Prior to that, he was 4-0 in the Octagon with three stoppages, overwhelming opponents with great grappling technique.
Raphael Assuncao has been a force at bantamweight, with a 7-2 record inside the Octagon, with the seven wins coming consecutively. Unfortunately, multiple injuries sidelined the Brazilian for over one and a half years before returning to action this summer in a rematch against TJ Dillashaw. Assuncao lost the contest via unanimous decision.
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While the upstate New York event lost one fight, it has gained another. A strawweight contest between the oft-injured Justine Kish, and TUF veteran Ashley Yoder has been added to the official card. Ashley Yoder fought just last Friday at Invicta FC 20, winning via second round armbar. Justine KIsh is in the opposite situation, having not fought since January, which was her first fight since a 2014 win against Randa Markos.
UFC Albany is headlined by rising heavyweight star Derrick Lewis taking on Russian striker Shamil Abdurakhimov. Another powerful heavyweight, Francis Ngannou, occupies the co-main event against Anthony Hamilton. The event takes place on December 9 in the Times Union Center of Albany, New York.
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