Aljamain Sterling talks about re-signing with the UFC and taking over the bantamweight division.

Finally UFC fans, Aljamain Sterling has re-signed with the UFC and we will be able to watch him continue to climb the bantamweight divisional ranks.

Sterling announced the news on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani on Monday afternoon.

Shortly after breaking the news that he will be returning to the UFC, Sterling talked with Cage Pages about his decision to re-sign.

“There was a bunch of different variables that went into the decision, but ultimately the UFC had the better offer on the table,” Sterling told Cage Pages. “In terms of what they were able to bring, and in terms of visibility, and in terms of reach with the connections they have. They have tougher fights and the guys that will ultimately make me the consensus number one fighter in the world when I win the belt.”

On The MMA Hour, Sterling did not mention how many fights he signed on his contract, but he told Cage Pages that, “It will be enough to get me into my 30’s, probably.”

That would mean the 26-year old would fight four or more years in the UFC, so we will be seeing a lot of ‘Funk Master’ in the next couple of years. Many fans are excited to see him inside the cage again and were wondering when he will make his return to the octagon.

“I am thinking April probably makes the most sense, yeah, I am thinking April,” Sterling said. “I am going on a little vacation to Hawaii, so that will be fun working with Max Holloway, but of course I will be down there drinking as well. So, I want to take a fight and be ready. I think April is the smartest bet and I’ll be ready.”

It is almost a lock that Sterling will get a top-10 opponent in his next fight, so how does the man who deemed himself the ‘Human Anaconda’ feel he matches up with all of the fighters in the top-ten?

“I think I matchup very well with them,” Sterling explained. “I think I have a unique style. They do as well, but T.J. [Dillashaw] wears it on his face a lot more than I do. I think that is the difference. I am hard to hit and I am hard to take down. Once I get on your back, I am the ‘Human Anaconda’ for a reason, I am the ‘Human JanSport.’ I put those straps on and you ain’t going no where.”

The ‘Human JanSport’ mentioned fighting the former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw in his interview with Helwani earlier today, but he talked about some other names he wouldn’t mind going to battle with inside the octagon.

“The only thing about it is that he [T.J. Dillashaw] is coming off of a loss,” said Sterling. “It would be better to fight someone coming off of a win or two or a streak. That would make us the ultimate number one contender. I think Raphael Assuncao probably makes the most sense and I do not think they will match me and Thomas Almeida up right now. But I would open to take that fight as well. People think he [Almeida] is going to out-strike me, but he can’t out-strike me if he is on his back. Michael McDonald would be a great one too.”

A win over any of those fighters would almost certainly give Sterling the next title shot. That would put him at 13-0 in his career, and 5-0 in the UFC. It would show that he is arguably the best bantamweight in the UFC and there would only be one way to find out, which would be matching him up with the current bantamweight king, Dominick Cruz.

“I do not think the fight goes five rounds,” said Sterling as he talked about a potential match-up with Cruz. “I think I stop him [Cruz]. Like I said man, I take him down the way T.J. controlled him and got his back, but T.J. looked like he didn’t practice a day of jiu-jitsu in his life. He got his back and looked confused out there. Dude, you throw a hook in and punch him a couple times. You throw the other hook in and then look to choke him out. I don’t know, but if I get an opportunity like that I think it is going to be my night. I am confident in that matchup. There is no threat; I mean what is the threat? He is going to throw haymakers at me? Or is he going to be moving around a lot? There is no danger in that fight in my opinion. I think I fair well in that fight.”

Sterling also had some nice words for the fans that have stuck with him past and present and he said, “Thank you to all those guys that have been following me throughout my career, from my UFC debut and even the guys that just joined the ‘Funk Express.’ We are full steam ahead and going to take this division over one fight at a time.”

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