Aljamain Sterling gets brutally honest about how Jon Jones changed his outlook on fighting

Jon Jones has been an influence on Aljamain Sterling, and that was made even clearer in a recent video that ‘Funk Master’ uploaded to his YouTube channel. In it, he credits the reigning UFC heavyweight champion with changing his outlook on fighting as a profession.

As Sterling tells it, Jones’ approach to fighting impacted him greatly. At the onset of his career, Sterling believed that abstaining from alcohol and maintaining a strict policy on what he intakes ahead of his fights were fundamental. Jones’ example, thtough, changed his outlook.

“I meet him, I’m thinking I gotta live the life of a monk, I gotta be super disciplined. I’m thinking, ‘This is what Jon Jones is doing. This is why he’s killing these guys, cause he’s just here with the mental and the sacrifices and everything, the dedication.’ And then I see him at the bar, maybe two or three fights into the UFC. He’s probably got a fight the week later, and he’s getting smashed, drinking, having a good time, and he’s offering me a drink.”

This encounter with Jones completely shifted Sterling’s approach to fighting, allowing him to plan less restrictive training camps.

“I’m like, ‘Nah, I got a fight in five weeks. You’re fighting tomorrow, bro.’ I’m confused, what the hell is happening right now? And this changed my mindset. I gave up all the things I enjoyed in life that made training more enjoyable. But I was like, ‘The sacrifice, the sacrifice, the sacrifice.’ But then I realized it came down to the mental. If you believe that one drink or those two nights out on two and a half weeks apart is gonna tear down an entire training camp, then maybe you just didn’t prepare enough.”

Check out Aljamain Sterling detailing Jon Jones’ influence on his mentality (4:14):

Ultimately, Sterling went on to achieve championship success in the UFC bantamweight division. However, struggles with the weight cut and a loss to Sean O’Malley led to him moving up to featherweight.

Jon Jones has struggled with substance issues in the UFC

While Aljamain Sterling credits Jon Jones with changing his outlook on fighting, the all-time great MMA fighter has dealt with numerous controversies relating to what he consumes. Jones, for example, tested positive for cocaine metabolites following his UFC 182 win over Daniel Cormier.

Moreover, he tested positive for a turinabol metabolite following his UFC 214 win over Cormier in their rematch, causing the result to be overturned. He has also blamed some of his behavioral controversies on alcohol.

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Ricardo has been an MMA writer at Sportskeeda for the past 2 years, having previously worked for The Sportster. In his time at Sportskeeda, the kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner has penned over 2000 articles, including five exclusive pieces, and raked in more than 4 million views. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.

Ricardo’s earliest memory of becoming an MMA fan dates back to 2009 when Lyoto Machida defeated Rashad Evans in the headlining bout of UFC 98. His Mt. Rushmore of MMA fighters includes Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva, and Alexander Volkanovski.

Ricardo aspires to be at the forefront of covering MMA soon by becoming a part of discussion panels that conduct pre-fight predictions, post-fight breakdowns, and fantasy fight breakdowns. His articles are supported by extensive research and double checking of information via multiple sources.

Beyond work, Ricardo likes to write and draw.

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Edited by Ricardo Viagem