Aljamain Sterling Recalls Cory Sandhagen's Reaction After UFC 250 Win

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling reflected on his pivotal June 2020 bout against Cory Sandhagen, remembering the colorful exchange the two shared in the aftermath of their fight at UFC 250. The top-contender matchup saw Sterling quickly ground Sandhagen and secure a rear-naked choke submission in under 90 seconds, cementing his spot as the rightful challenger to face Petr Yan for the bantamweight title.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Sterling looked back on a chance meeting with Sandhagen later that evening. "I saw him later that night in the courtyard and basically he said, 'Congrats, you f*cking asshole,'" Sterling said. "I was just like, 'Fair.' What can I say to that? I'll take that."

The memory resurfaced as Sterling and his co-hosts analyzed the recent sportsmanship shown by Andre Fili at UFC Vegas 122. In that event, Fili delivered a head kick knockout against Kai Kamaka III and held back follow-up strikes upon realizing his opponent was out. Fili later explained his restraint by stating, "I'm a criminal, but I'm not a piece of shit."

Sterling praised Fili's discipline inside the Octagon, noting how difficult it can be for fighters to make that call in the heat of the moment. Drawing comparisons to his own career, including a knockout loss to Marlon Moraes, Sterling commended fighters who avoid unnecessary damage. "So Fili ran over like he was about to hit him one more time in case he woke up and he was just like, 'He's already out, this guy's done.' So good on him, good control," Sterling remarked, adding that he respects fighters who recognize when the fight is effectively over.