Heading into his successful (via disqualificiation) title shot vs. then bantamweight champion Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling was cornered in every fight since CFFC 30 in 2013, by UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra and Ray Longo. The sole exception was a performance bonus-winning submission of Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250 on June 6, 2020, and that due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Sterling also earned his black belt in jiu-jitsu under Serra.
However, for the main event of UFC 259 last Saturday, Sterling was cornered by Longo, Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick, and sparring partners Anthony DiLemme and Dennis Buzukja from Long Island, New York. Sterling moved to Las Vegas in 2020, and has done his camps moving between Vegas, and at Team Serra-Longo on Long Island.
During a recent “UFC Unfiltered” podcast, Serra shared that he felt let down.
“I’m upset that I wasn’t in the corner,” said Serra, as transcribed by NewsDay deputy sports editor Mark La Monica. “I’m upset after being with this kid the whole journey.”
“Now this is no longer this thing of ours with me and Longo, and that’s cool. We did this with the intentions of helping these guys reach their goals. But at the same time, you can’t help but feel a little disrespected. You’re with the kid since from his first fight in the UFC. You could point to one time when I maybe missed a sparring session in seven years, or you point to the times I’ve been there all the time. I got a family. You travel and you go and you do it proudly. You do it because you’re backing up your guy. At the end of the day, it’s me and Longo taking our guy to the flagpole against another savage.”
“I’m not gonna lie to you, I was a little hurt.”
“Going forward, I think it’s better now to just make an exit on a high note. I always loved cornering. But, like what’s going on for the next fight? Is it me and Eric Nicksick doing rock paper scissors to see who gets in?
“I will always, always be in this kid’s corner. Always. Just not physically. I’m just going to retire altogether from the whole corner thing.”
“I think he’s going to be a great champion. I will always have his back. Anything he needs from me, and my academy, my black belts. Dude, nothing’s going to change as far as the training in Long Island with us. But I’m just removing myself from this whole scenario. That way, nobody’s feelings are gonna get hurt, I’m not supposed to be there anyway, I’m done.”
