Daniel Cormier Scolds UFC Fans for Mistreatment of Aljamain Sterling

"It sucks that this happens time and time again"

Mathew Riddle | May 9, 2023

UFC

Daniel Cormier has expressed his disappointment with UFC fans booing bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in his UFC 288 title fight on May 6.

Cormier, a former UFC double-champion turned commentator and MMA pundit, addressed fight fans on his YouTube channel on May 7:

In his video, Cormier sat at his booth post-UFC 288. He addressed UFC fans with a solemn message about Sterling garnering enough respect:

"Guys stop booing Aljamain. Stop booing Aljamain Sterling. Give this man his respect. This dude is doing everything you want as a champion. He's active; He fights the best guys that they put in front of him; He wins fights; He carries himself in the way of a champion.

"It's time to stop booing Aljamain Sterling. It sucks that this happens time and time again. And in Newark, New Jersey, which is very close to New York, [Sterling's] getting booed...

"It really made no sense, I don't know what this man has to do to garner your respect. So if that wasn't enough, you're never going to be satisfied."

Dana White Believed That Aljamain Sterling's Championship Reign Would Be Validated by Defeating Cejudo

During an interview with The Schmo on May 5, UFC President Dana White discussed Sterling redeeming his championship arch with a victory over Cejudo.

"Here's the thing for [Sterling]. [Sterling] has had some unfortunate situations in his [championship] run. But like we were talking about today, the guy has the most wins; The most consecutive [wins].

"I think that a win over Henry Cejudo will give this kid the credentials he needs now. This will solidify him, and anybody who had any doubts about him in the past and some of the things that have happened. Beating [Cejudo] will squash that.

The "unfortunate situations" White refers to are Sterling's acquisition of the title via disqualification and his close decision victory in the rematch with Petr Yan.

Whether Sterling's close decision victory validates his championship reign in the way White imagined, remains up to the public consensus.

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Published May 9, 2023

MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMAKO in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda. Reach him at mr@thefightfanatic.com.