In what has already been a very eventful and newsworthy 2021, there is a positive update on one of the most unique and polarizing stories of the year.
Fresh off of his controversial disqualification victory over Petr Yan to become the new UFC bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling disclosed that he would need to take several months off to heal a nagging neck injury. After stating he could be sidelined for up to nine months, Sterling revised the return timetable to the fall when he opted to undergo an artificial disc replacement. Last week, Sterling provided the following update before going under the knife:
The video shows Sterling’s doctor walking him, and all listeners, through the pending procedure. In the social media post, Sterling detailed the progression of his injury and then issued the following noteworthy remarks for his doubters.
“Now after my fight with Peanut Butter Pan, I have muscle weakness in my left arm, where I couldn’t even do basic calisthenics to get ready for a June rematch! I think when I let him German Suplex me in Round 1, the camels back broke and that started the muscle weakness.
“The fight with Yan was an off-night compared the performances beforehand. But I never quit or stopped walking forward and I can live with that. I can’t wait to get rehab started and prove to all the doubters that I am, who I say I am! October can’t come soon enough!!”
Aljamain Sterling Undergoes Successful Surgery, Confirms Return Timetable
The following day, Sterling again took to Instagram to share the good news of a successful surgery.
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Verified
“HUGE thank you to Dr. Robert Watkins Jr. @robertwatkins4 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! The entire @cedarssinai staff were amazing, and I appreciate all of our conversations today,” Sterling wrote.
“April 15th begins Day 1 of my road to recovery! I’ll be sharing a lot of my experiences with you all as best as I can on my YouTube podcast (@theweeklyscraps) as well as IG. Looking forward to living a pain free life again!”
Aljamain Sterling has always been one of the more transparent fighters on the UFC roster through his podcast and social media activity, so if there are any other notable updates on his return, he is likely to fill the public in. And if he doesn’t, you know who will. That’s right, your friends over here at MMANews.com.
Do you think the rematch between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling will go any differently when Sterling returns at 100%?
