A man has been sentenced to a maximum of 16 years in prison for the murder of a man he punched during a Sydney street fight.

Adam James Matthews, 38, was jailed for at least 11 years in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday for the murder of Scott Miller whom he punched during a row in Darlinghurst in February 2011.

The court heard that at the time of the fight and unknown to both men, Mr Miller had a brain aneurysm.

During the fight, a blow by Matthews caused the aneurysm to burst, resulting in Mr Miller suffering a brain haemorrhage.

In handing down the sentence, Acting Justice Jane Mathews said without the aneurism, Mr Miller would "certainly not have died or suffered any permanent physical injuries" as a result of the fight.