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Aljamain Sterling

26-5-0
37y·5' 7"·71" reach·Orthodox
4:58
Control / 15m
time on top
+2.11
Striking diff.
landed minus absorbed
35%
Finish rate
wins inside the distance
0
Power
knockdowns per 100 landed

Tells

Non-traditional predictors we've tested against the record. Only the ones that fire on this fighter show up here.

Chin Decay

Predictive

First KO loss December 2017. Fighters at the same age and mileage lose by KO in 11.3% of fights; after a first KO it runs 17.3%.

Fired again Aug 2023

Read the research

The Odometer

Backwards

Crossed into the heaviest third of head strikes eaten for their age in July 2017, 58 head strikes before that night. Never-yet-stopped fighters carrying that kind of mileage took a first KO in 11.0% of fights; the lightest third ran 15.6%.

Fired again Aug 2023

Read the research

Checked 3 tells for this fighter. 2 fired.

How they fight

Every significant strike they have landed across 23 recorded bouts, 1407 in total. Target and position are two readings of the same strikes, so each adds to 100.

Target
Head 50%Body 31%Legs 19%
Position
Distance 67%Clinch 15%Ground 18%
And how often each lands
Head41%
Body71%
Legs77%
Distance46%
Clinch77%
Ground76%

How fights end

UFC bouts only, so these will not add up to the record above. Counts rather than rates: two knockouts in three wins is not a 67% finisher.

17Wins2 KO · 4 SUB · 11 DEC
5Losses2 KO · 3 DEC

Control, bout by bout

Seconds spent controlling the opponent in each fight, oldest on the left. UFCStats records this per bout and never adds it up; this is what that looks like added up.

53%
Gibson
62%
Viana
62%
Mizugaki
37%
Eduardo
26%
Caraway
0%
Assuncao
40%
Mendes
38%
Barao
0%
Moraes
9%
Johns
33%
Stamann
18%
Rivera
0%
Munhoz
83%
Sandhagen
18%
Yan
34%
Yan
81%
Dillashaw
16%
Cejudo
10%
O'Malley
71%
Kattar
42%
Evloev
16%
Ortega
55%
Zalal

As the fight goes on

Which measure to show

Significant strikes landed, per minute fought. Every round is measured against round one, except rounds reached by fewer than 3 bouts, which are dimmed and left uncompared.

Landed / minvs R1Bouts
R13.62100%23
R24.95137%21
R34.46123%17
R44.45123%5
R53.2590%4

Only fights that reached a round count towards it, so later rounds are a smaller sample.

Career numbers

Strikes landed / min4.26
Strikes absorbed / min2.15
Striking accuracyof everything thrown52%
Striking defenceof what comes back, missed59%
Takedowns / 15 min2.54
Takedown accuracyof attempts that land32%
Takedown defenceof attempts stuffed44%
Sub attempts / 15 min0.6
Pacestrikes landed and absorbed, added together6.41
Average bout lengthhow long their fights actually last, across 23 bouts14.4m

Earned Accuracy

How hard the opponents on this record were to hit at distance, and whether they beat it. Distance strikes only, so nobody gets credit for accuracy they picked up hammering someone already flat on the floor.

45.1%
Landed at range
1,786 thrown over 21 bouts
34.7%
Expected
against these opponents
+10.4pp
Gap
above expected
88.6%
Coverage
from real records
The fine print

Distance strikes only

Nothing thrown in the clinch or on the ground counts. Those land at about 72% and 71%, against 44% at distance, so a blended accuracy mostly measures where a fight happened. Rank the sport that way and its best strikers are all wrestlers.

One pass, not a rating

How much each opponent lets through is taken raw. It isn't adjusted for who they fought, so a fighter whose opponents all had soft schedules comes out looking better here than they are. Running it to convergence is a later job.

Coverage, and who gets ranked

Coverage is how much of the expected number came from the opponents' own records instead of the division average. Under 65% it's mostly the division talking, so the comparison gets hidden. Same for anyone under 5 qualifying bouts, or under 300 distance strikes of their own, which is where an accuracy still moves on a single exchange. Miss any of the three and you'll see what they landed, nothing else, and they stay out of any ranking.

Short records get pulled to the middle

An opponent who hasn't been shot at much gets dragged toward their division's average, and the drag fades as their record fills in. At 60 distance strikes faced, their own record and the division average count for the same.

Bout log

WYoussef ZalalApr 2026U-DEC13:49 ctrl46 str6 td
Significant strikes
46 of 89 · 52%
Total strikes
220 of 293 · 75%
Takedowns
6 of 11 · 55%
Control
13:49
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
1
Reversals
0
Ended
Unanimous decision, 5 rounds
Target
Head 54%Body 26%Legs 20%
Position
Distance 54%Clinch 33%Ground 13%
This fight on UFCStats
WBrian OrtegaAug 2025U-DEC3:55 ctrl124 str3 td
Significant strikes
124 of 227 · 55%
Total strikes
153 of 262 · 58%
Takedowns
3 of 6 · 50%
Control
3:55
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
0
Ended
Unanimous decision, 5 rounds
Target
Head 62%Body 17%Legs 21%
Position
Distance 81%Clinch 6%Ground 14%
This fight on UFCStats
LMovsar EvloevDec 2024U-DEC6:16 ctrl12 str6 td
Significant strikes
12 of 26 · 46%
Total strikes
45 of 67 · 67%
Takedowns
6 of 8 · 75%
Control
6:16
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
2
Ended
Unanimous decision, 3 rounds
Target
Head 58%Body 42%Legs 0%
Position
Distance 75%Clinch 17%Ground 8%
This fight on UFCStats
WCalvin KattarApr 2024U-DEC10:43 ctrl39 str8 td
Significant strikes
39 of 71 · 55%
Total strikes
89 of 128 · 70%
Takedowns
8 of 13 · 62%
Control
10:43
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
0
Ended
Unanimous decision, 3 rounds
Target
Head 31%Body 38%Legs 31%
Position
Distance 59%Clinch 13%Ground 28%
This fight on UFCStats
LSean O'MalleyAug 2023KO R20:34 ctrl17 str0 td
Significant strikes
17 of 35 · 49%
Total strikes
24 of 46 · 52%
Takedowns
0 of 2 · 0%
Control
0:34
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
0
Ended
KO / TKO, R2 0:51
Punches to Head On Ground
Target
Head 18%Body 18%Legs 65%
Position
Distance 94%Clinch 6%Ground 0%
This fight on UFCStats
WHenry CejudoMay 2023S-DEC4:00 ctrl135 str4 td
Significant strikes
135 of 210 · 64%
Total strikes
186 of 261 · 71%
Takedowns
4 of 15 · 27%
Control
4:00
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
0
Ended
Split decision, 5 rounds
Target
Head 38%Body 37%Legs 25%
Position
Distance 76%Clinch 18%Ground 6%
This fight on UFCStats
WTJ DillashawOct 2022KO R27:06 ctrl72 str5 td
Significant strikes
72 of 93 · 77%
Total strikes
148 of 181 · 82%
Takedowns
5 of 8 · 63%
Control
7:06
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
2
Reversals
0
Ended
KO / TKO, R2 3:44
Punches to Head From Back Control
Target
Head 78%Body 18%Legs 4%
Position
Distance 24%Clinch 3%Ground 74%
This fight on UFCStats
WPetr YanApr 2022S-DEC8:31 ctrl62 str2 td
Significant strikes
62 of 110 · 56%
Total strikes
91 of 143 · 64%
Takedowns
2 of 22 · 9%
Control
8:31
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
0
Ended
Split decision, 5 rounds
Target
Head 47%Body 42%Legs 11%
Position
Distance 68%Clinch 8%Ground 24%
This fight on UFCStats
WPetr YanMar 2021DQ R43:25 ctrl97 str1 td
Significant strikes
97 of 230 · 42%
Total strikes
119 of 260 · 46%
Takedowns
1 of 17 · 6%
Control
3:25
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
1
Ended
Disqualification, R4 4:29
Illegal Knee to Grounded Opponent
Target
Head 41%Body 44%Legs 14%
Position
Distance 81%Clinch 13%Ground 5%
This fight on UFCStats
WCory SandhagenJun 2020SUB R11:13 ctrl2 str0 td
Significant strikes
2 of 3 · 67%
Total strikes
10 of 12 · 83%
Takedowns
0 of 1 · 0%
Control
1:13
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
2
Reversals
0
Ended
Submission, R1 1:28
Rear Naked Choke
Target
Head 0%Body 0%Legs 100%
Position
Distance 100%Clinch 0%Ground 0%
This fight on UFCStats
WPedro MunhozJun 2019U-DEC0:00 ctrl174 str0 td
Significant strikes
174 of 349 · 50%
Total strikes
175 of 350 · 50%
Takedowns
0 of 7 · 0%
Control
0:00
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
0
Ended
Unanimous decision, 3 rounds
Target
Head 71%Body 21%Legs 9%
Position
Distance 99%Clinch 1%Ground 0%
This fight on UFCStats
WJimmie RiveraFeb 2019U-DEC2:44 ctrl101 str0 td
Significant strikes
101 of 176 · 57%
Total strikes
129 of 206 · 63%
Takedowns
0 of 7 · 0%
Control
2:44
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
0
Ended
Unanimous decision, 3 rounds
Target
Head 36%Body 39%Legs 26%
Position
Distance 76%Clinch 23%Ground 1%
This fight on UFCStats
WCody StamannSep 2018SUB R22:52 ctrl33 str2 td
Significant strikes
33 of 74 · 45%
Total strikes
63 of 105 · 60%
Takedowns
2 of 9 · 22%
Control
2:52
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
2
Reversals
0
Ended
Submission, R2 3:42
Suloev Stretch From Back Control
Target
Head 70%Body 21%Legs 9%
Position
Distance 39%Clinch 9%Ground 52%
This fight on UFCStats
WBrett JohnsApr 2018U-DEC1:21 ctrl89 str3 td
Significant strikes
89 of 152 · 59%
Total strikes
117 of 181 · 65%
Takedowns
3 of 9 · 33%
Control
1:21
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
1
Ended
Unanimous decision, 3 rounds
Target
Head 45%Body 42%Legs 13%
Position
Distance 60%Clinch 29%Ground 11%
This fight on UFCStats
LMarlon MoraesDec 2017KO R10:00 ctrl3 str0 td
Significant strikes
3 of 10 · 30%
Total strikes
3 of 10 · 30%
Takedowns
0 of 0
Control
0:00
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
0
Ended
KO / TKO, R1 1:07
Knee to Head At Distance
Target
Head 33%Body 33%Legs 33%
Position
Distance 100%Clinch 0%Ground 0%
This fight on UFCStats
WRenan BaraoJul 2017U-DEC5:40 ctrl71 str1 td
Significant strikes
71 of 121 · 59%
Total strikes
112 of 166 · 67%
Takedowns
1 of 1 · 100%
Control
5:40
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
0
Ended
Unanimous decision, 3 rounds
Target
Head 58%Body 21%Legs 21%
Position
Distance 51%Clinch 10%Ground 39%
This fight on UFCStats
WAugusto MendesApr 2017U-DEC6:00 ctrl83 str2 td
Significant strikes
83 of 161 · 52%
Total strikes
162 of 246 · 66%
Takedowns
2 of 6 · 33%
Control
6:00
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
0
Ended
Unanimous decision, 3 rounds
Target
Head 34%Body 55%Legs 11%
Position
Distance 64%Clinch 12%Ground 24%
This fight on UFCStats
LRaphael AssuncaoJan 2017S-DEC0:02 ctrl52 str0 td
Significant strikes
52 of 172 · 30%
Total strikes
52 of 172 · 30%
Takedowns
0 of 3 · 0%
Control
0:02
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
0
Ended
Split decision, 3 rounds
Target
Head 35%Body 17%Legs 48%
Position
Distance 100%Clinch 0%Ground 0%
This fight on UFCStats
LBryan CarawayMay 2016S-DEC3:51 ctrl32 str1 td
Significant strikes
32 of 64 · 50%
Total strikes
56 of 91 · 62%
Takedowns
1 of 3 · 33%
Control
3:51
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
2
Reversals
0
Ended
Split decision, 3 rounds
Target
Head 28%Body 44%Legs 28%
Position
Distance 69%Clinch 22%Ground 9%
This fight on UFCStats
WJohnny EduardoDec 2015SUB R23:28 ctrl23 str2 td
Significant strikes
23 of 61 · 38%
Total strikes
49 of 90 · 54%
Takedowns
2 of 2 · 100%
Control
3:28
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
1
Reversals
0
Ended
Submission, R2 4:18
Guillotine Choke On Ground
Target
Head 61%Body 26%Legs 13%
Position
Distance 43%Clinch 4%Ground 52%
This fight on UFCStats
WTakeya MizugakiApr 2015SUB R37:35 ctrl32 str3 td
Significant strikes
32 of 54 · 59%
Total strikes
60 of 84 · 71%
Takedowns
3 of 15 · 20%
Control
7:35
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
1
Reversals
0
Ended
Submission, R3 2:11
Arm Triangle From Bottom Guard
Target
Head 25%Body 38%Legs 38%
Position
Distance 41%Clinch 59%Ground 0%
This fight on UFCStats
WHugo VianaJul 2014KO R38:34 ctrl62 str4 td
Significant strikes
62 of 98 · 63%
Total strikes
94 of 132 · 71%
Takedowns
4 of 4 · 100%
Control
8:34
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
0
Reversals
0
Ended
KO / TKO, R3 3:50
Punches to Head From Mount
Target
Head 63%Body 26%Legs 11%
Position
Distance 16%Clinch 19%Ground 65%
This fight on UFCStats
WCody GibsonFeb 2014U-DEC7:54 ctrl46 str3 td
Significant strikes
46 of 89 · 52%
Total strikes
132 of 177 · 75%
Takedowns
3 of 5 · 60%
Control
7:54
Knockdowns
0
Sub attempts
3
Reversals
0
Ended
Unanimous decision, 3 rounds
Target
Head 50%Body 37%Legs 13%
Position
Distance 24%Clinch 54%Ground 22%
This fight on UFCStats

Numbers from UFCStats. Control time and strike placement are summed from each bout, everything else is as published.