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As a New Yorker, Aljamain Sterling is as excited as anyone the MMA ban in New York was lifted this week. But he’s not planning to sit on the sidelines until he can fight in his home state.
“I want to fight now,” Sterling told MMAjunkie Radio. “I need a fight now. The kid needs to get paid. There’s bills to be paid, there’s people that need to get choked out, and there’s a belt that’s shining and I see the light. I want to go get after that.”
Sterling (12-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is ranked No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings. He recently chose to re-sign with the UFC after a period of testing the free agent market.
He last fought at UFC Fight Night 80 this past December, submitting Johnny Eduardo on the UFC Fight Pass-streamed event from Las Vegas.
To the 26-year-old, extending his period of inactivity to the fall would set his career back in ways that wouldn’t overcome the excitement of entering the octagon in New York’s famed Madison Square Garden.
“For me to wait and take my name out of relevancy for so long would be silly on my part,” Sterling said. “I’d rather get it in now and come out of the fight hopefully not too banged up and get ready for the next one, which would be MSG or wherever it is they’re going to hold the first UFC event in New York.”
(Video in link)
LINK to full article: Aljamain Sterling not waiting for New York card: 'The kid needs to get paid'
