Aljamain Sterling now has a firmer timeline on when we could be seeing him return to competition, and he also has a strong message for his detractors.
In a recent interview with MiddleEasy, Aljamain Sterling revealed that he rejected a rematch against Petr Yan because he is still recovering from lingering neck issues. In this same interview, he stated that there were two procedural options he was considering to remedy these issues. One of these options was what he described to be a “fusion.” Here is what the bantamweight champion said about this procedure:
“There’s one that’s a fusion. That one’s about nine months before you can start regular activity again in terms of training at a high level.”
The Funkmaster would also state that there was a second option, an artificial disk replacement. This route would see Sterling sidelined for approximately three months before he could resume regular training activities.
Aljamain Sterling Provides Update On Return Timeline
On his personal YouTube channel, Sterling revealed that he decided to go with the artificial disk replacement option. And as ESPN reported late Friday night, Sterling confirmed the time estimate for when he can return to action after having this procedure.
“They told me I will heal in three months, and can start doing cardio to get myself ready,” Sterling said. “They wouldn’t want to see me take a fight until they see everything has fused in my neck correctly. Five months would be ideal, if I heal up really quick. I’m excited. The faster I heal up, the faster I can fight. We’ll find out in the next three months, and get something on schedule.”
Though Sterling opted to go with the option with the quicker recovery time, the nine-month time frame was also possible based on Sterling’s own words. Petr Yan recently re-tweeted an article from MMANews.com of which the headline referenced the nine-month possibility that Sterling himself provided. One day later and fresh off of this ESPN report, Sterling decided to fire back on all of the “dummies” who mentioned the nine-month window as well as all of his critics who have been accusing him of faking altogether.
“For the dummies saying he’s out for 9 months and the losers who says he’s faking shit. See you in October Peanut Butter Pan. Sincerely your champ, suck it and life goes on.”
The tweet shares the ESPN report of his surgery and the return timeline that puts a Sterling vs. Yan rematch most likely in the fall. In the video published on his YouTube channel, Sterling also scoffed at the notion of a possible interim title fight, mostly due to the fact that Yan was provided the courtesy of postponing the initial bout between the two. In the interest of fairness, the new bantamweight champion argued that he should be given that same courtesy after having surgery performed on his neck.
What are your thoughts on this update from Aljamain Sterling?
