Aug 11, 2026 · 2h 59m
Aljamain Sterling plots his featherweight title run and details fighter longevity
JRE MMA Show #184 with Aljamain Sterling
As fighter longevity and post-career transitions become central to combat sports, one of MMA's most cerebral champions reveals the tactical and business blueprints required to survive and thrive.
- 1Fighters must adapt their styles and training philosophies to avoid brutal wars and extend their competitive longevity.
- 2Relying heavily on mental coaches can expose psychological vulnerabilities that opponents can exploit during a fight.
- 3Meticulous weight-cutting strategies and post-career business ventures like spirits and cigars are vital for long-term fighter security.
Don't miss
Aljamain Sterling explains why he views a fighter's reliance on mental coaches as a psychological weakness opponents can exploit.
The brief
Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling joins Joe Rogan to detail his transition to the featherweight division, his meticulous approach to weight cutting, and how he adapted his fighting style to avoid career-shortening wars in the octagon.
Sterling reveals his unique training philosophy of guided discovery and argues that relying on mental coaches can actually expose a chink in a fighter's armor that savvy opponents are able to exploit during high-stakes matchups.
Between tactical breakdowns, the fighter shares his entrepreneurial side, presenting Rogan with his signature Funk Master cigars and award-winning Funk Harbor rum, prompting a discussion on the history of Caribbean pirates.
Looking ahead to the featherweight division's future, Sterling analyzes a potential clash between Ilya Topuria and Justin Gaethje while mapping out his own ultimate goal: securing one more title shot to cap off his career.
What was said on this episode
87 statements · 58 positive · 22 negative · 3 mixed · 4 neutral
Aljamain Sterling has exceptionally effective back control.
“you had to appreciate that back control”
Listen at 2:36
Fighters should protect against the choke before attempting other actions.
“always protect the choke first”
Listen at 4:51
UFC fighters should not receive separate win bonuses.
“It should be, you get paid what you get paid. It shouldn't be.”
Listen at 6:37
UFC win bonuses do not incentivize fighters to fight harder.
“you're not incentivizing people to fight harder”
Listen at 7:01
Highly skilled fighters can neutralize each other and produce boring fights.
“skillful guys going after each other and that sometimes they'll cancel each other out and make a boring fight”
Listen at 8:01
Rose Namajunas is among the most exciting champions in MMA history.
“Rose is a beast, man. She's a beast at one of the absolute most exciting fighters, Champions of all time”
Listen at 12:35
Repeatedly taking part in brutal fights reduces a fighter’s willingness to exchange.
“when you've been in so many wars, you know, you've been, you've had so many wars that your, your willingness to exchange is different”
Listen at 13:08
Aljamain Sterling has the best back control Joe Rogan has seen in MMA.
“Your fights are the best. You have the best back control I think I've ever seen in this sport.”
Listen at 13:47
Sean Strickland frequently engages in verbal conflicts without apparent distraction.
“Sean Strickland. He's crazy as fuck, but he gets in there with everybody all the time.”
Listen at 18:50
Sean Strickland provides good investment advice on Twitter.
“He gives great investment advice on Twitter.”
Listen at 20:06
Extreme MMA weight cutting dehydrates muscles and organs.
“you're sucking your muscles dry. That's what's crazy. And your organs.”
Listen at 30:51
MMA should adopt same-day weigh-ins.
“I still think same day weigh ins.”
Listen at 31:00
Same-day weigh-ins would change MMA substantially and increase fighter injuries.
“same day weigh ins would change a lot, but also guys would get really hurt”
Listen at 31:02
Same-day MMA weigh-ins would require adding many weight classes.
“you would have to have multiple weight classes added, many weight classes added”
Listen at 31:18
MMA weight classes should be separated by approximately ten pounds.
“Every £10 is. Is smart.”
Listen at 31:42
Dricus Du Plessis could make middleweight through sustained lifestyle changes.
“He could have made middleweight if he had like the real. If he just had the drive and did it as a lifestyle change”
Listen at 37:26
Daniel Cormier could have reached middleweight after a year of healthy fat loss.
“if he had slowly but surely leaned himself out and did it healthy, smart, over like the course of a year”
Listen at 38:09
Healthy fat loss would improve Daniel Cormier’s endurance.
“His gas tank would be better.”
Listen at 38:21
Jon Jones practiced the spinning back kick three days weekly for heavyweight competition.
“three days a week, that's all he would do, is just drill a spinning back kick”
Listen at 57:41
People without natural punching power can develop it only to a limited extent.
“if you don't have it, you can only develop it so much”
Listen at 59:13
Aljamain Sterling is more resilient and durable fighting at featherweight.
“I think you're a different beast at 45. You know, I think you just have more resilience at 45. You're more durable at 45.”
Listen at 1:01:41
MMA fighters will continue cutting weight even after rule changes.
“once guys get it ingrained in their head that they're going to cut weight, they're just always going to cut weight”
Listen at 1:02:03
Islam Makhachev is unlikely to primarily strike with Ian Garry.
“I don't think he's going to stand up and strike with him”
Listen at 1:12:25
Islam Makhachev currently has elite-level grappling.
“Islam's grappling right now is at the top of the food chain.”
Listen at 1:12:40
MMA training sessions should pursue a specific improvement objective.
“when you're coming in, you should have a mission”
Listen at 1:17:27
Fighters should use training to solve tactical problems before competition.
“in training is where you should be working out the kinks and understanding this”
Listen at 1:20:21
Faster recognition and reactions usually win MMA positions.
“if I know it faster, if I know how to react faster than you, I'm going to win that position or the situation every single time”
Listen at 1:21:30
Technically slick, mobile fighters are more likely to excel.
“those are the guys that are going to excel and those are the guys that are going to really take it to the next level”
Listen at 1:22:49
Bomb-throwing fighters are likely to be outclassed by elite opponents.
“you're going to get pieced up if you fight someone who's really good”
Listen at 1:23:18
MMA competition standards are continuously improving.
“the levels are moving up all the time”
Listen at 1:23:26
MMA fighters are continuously improving.
“these guys are getting better all the time”
Listen at 1:23:49
Ethan Ewing currently looks capable of world-championship-level performance.
“this guy looks like a world champion like right now”
Listen at 1:23:54
Ian Garry is currently an underestimated contender in his division.
“Ian, to me, is the dark horse in that division right now”
Listen at 1:24:26
Max Holloway maintains his stamina deep into fights.
“Max Holloway does not get tired. He does not get tired.”
Listen at 1:26:14
Max Holloway will maintain first-round intensity through the fourth round.
“you guarantee he's going to be fighting in the fourth round just like he was fighting in the first round”
Listen at 1:26:38
Jumping rotational kicks are especially risky to throw.
“It's the worst kick to jump and throw.”
Listen at 1:27:42
Volkanovski should not accept an Islam Makhachev fight on eleven days’ notice.
“never take a fight with Islam Makachev on 11 days notice”
Listen at 1:33:19
Athletes must allow adequate time for physical recovery after injury.
“you got to give your body time to. To heal”
Listen at 1:34:10
Rampage Jackson’s slam permanently changed Ricardo Arona’s subsequent performance.
“Arona was never the same again after that fight.”
Listen at 1:36:28
The fighter-pay criticism of UFC compensation is legitimate.
“It's a legitimate argument.”
Listen at 1:42:50
The Laron Murphy–Moisar fight should have been scored a draw.
“Should have been scored a draw.”
Listen at 1:44:20
Merab Dvalishvili’s sustained takedown strategy is a legitimate way to win a title fight.
“If a guy like Merab can take you down and give you noogies for five rounds and you can't do shit and you lose your title, that's how it goes.”
Listen at 1:45:49
Alex Pereira achieved unusually much in a short MMA period.
“for him to do what he has done in such a short amount of time is like, unreal”
Listen at 1:50:56
Cyril Gane is probably the heavyweight division’s least frequently cleanly hit fighter.
“He's probably like the least hit clean heavyweight in the division.”
Listen at 1:51:57
Cyril Gane has substantially improved his takedown defense since fighting Jon Jones.
“I think Cyril has tightened up his takedown defense considerably since that fight.”
Listen at 1:52:29
Cyril Gane was an exceptionally unfavorable heavyweight matchup for Alex Pereira.
“It was the worst matchup for Alex to step into heavyweight.”
Listen at 1:54:12
Cyril Gane combines strong defense with excellent reflexes.
“Cyril's like, he's great at blocking too. Even if you get to him, his reflexes Are excellent.”
Listen at 1:55:23
Eye-poke severity varies substantially between incidents.
“not all eye pokes are created equal”
Listen at 1:56:04
Tom Aspinall made the correct decision to stop after the eye foul.
“He made 100% the right call because, look, he didn't lose that fight. It was a foul.”
Listen at 1:56:37
MMA rules should deduct one point for every eye contact foul.
“you got to take one point away every fucking time someone touches an eye”
Listen at 1:57:24
Islam Makhachev’s most reliable path is cage pressure followed by takedowns.
“Islam has the one sure cut way to win. Push him against the cage, take him down”
Listen at 2:01:09
Mackenzie Dern is highly effective from her back on the ground.
“Mackenzie Dern is great off of her back.”
Listen at 2:02:52
Training with elite fighters has improved Bulgari’s grappling and striking confidence.
“his grappling's now on point, much more confident on the feet, much more stable”
Listen at 2:04:58
Prolonged punishment can cause more cumulative damage than one decisive strike.
“the problem, the durability and but the toughness is. The problem is you get so many holes punched in your card in one fight.”
Listen at 2:07:30
A manager should not match Menzer against elite strikers at his current career stage.
“if you were a manager and he was your guy, you would not have had him, fight him at this stage of his career”
Listen at 2:08:07
Jon Jones should coach fighters.
“he should be coaching for sure”
Listen at 2:09:39
Mental coaches cannot fix fundamental weaknesses in a fighter’s overall preparation.
“I don't think they could fix a leaky boat.”
Listen at 2:10:43
Sean Brady’s grappling is at a higher level than Leon Edwards’s.
“Sean Brady's on another level when it comes to that.”
Listen at 2:13:38
Sean Brady can successfully make his demanding welterweight cut.
“he can do it. He's young. He's done it before.”
Listen at 2:14:39
Islam Makhachev may retire and coach after submitting Ian Garry.
“If he beats Ian, if he submits Ian and says, I've had enough, I'm going to do what Khabib did and I'm going to coach.”
Listen at 2:16:13
Chess remains playable indefinitely regardless of a player’s physical aging.
“it's something you could play forever too”
Listen at 2:21:04
Rum can be enjoyed year-round in varied social settings.
“Rum is for year round. You can have sipping rum. You can have it for Vegas pool parties. You can have it with a cigar.”
Listen at 2:24:54
Funk Harbor Rum is intended to be entirely Jamaican rum.
“we wanted to make sure this was 100% Jamaican rum”
Listen at 2:25:11
Funk Harbor Rum is more than a celebrity-name licensing effort or quick money grab.
“It's not just my name on a label, like trying to do a quick money grab or anything like that.”
Listen at 2:26:26
Laron is the most logical next opponent for Sterling.
“Laron's the only guy who would make the most sense, in my opinion.”
Listen at 2:26:37
Las Vegas is the fight capital of the world and Sterling’s business is thriving there.
“It's the fight capital of the world business for me over there. It's doing really, really well.”
Listen at 2:30:19
MMA fighters eventually need individualized one-on-one training.
“I think eventually you have to get to that one on one.”
Listen at 2:30:56
Jason Rao is highly talented and explains fighting concepts at a high level.
“He's so talented. Could walk you through everything and explain everything at a high level.”
Listen at 2:31:34
Steve Garcia is a dark-horse contender in the featherweight division.
“I always said Steve is the dark horse of the, of the division.”
Listen at 2:34:23
Steve Garcia has an unusually large frame and reach for his weight class.
“Big frame for the weight class. His reach is fucking stupid.”
Listen at 2:34:38
Steve Garcia’s ground-and-pound is extremely powerful but somewhat reckless.
“his ground to pound is ferocious, like almost reckless to a point”
Listen at 2:34:46
Diego Lopez has an exceptionally durable chin.
“a guy like Diego Lopez”
Listen at 2:35:13
Mosar deserved the title opportunity based on merit.
“The fight should have went to Mozart, just being fair, based on merit.”
Listen at 2:36:09
Sterling should avoid engaging Diego Lopez in a reckless striking exchange.
“if I'm fighting Diego, I'm not doing that shit”
Listen at 2:36:42
Judges should heavily credit close submission attempts in MMA scoring.
“Close submission attempts should count in a big way.”
Listen at 2:37:36
Gaethje’s victory over Ferguson changed perceptions of Ferguson’s career.
“Going in there and doing that to Ferguson changed Ferguson's career.”
Listen at 2:39:37
A Topuria–Gaethje rematch could produce a different result.
“If they had a rematch, maybe the fight goes different.”
Listen at 2:41:24
Sterling could become a world champion at age 45.
“You 100% could be a world champion at 45.”
Listen at 2:42:14
Sterling is capable of competing at world-championship level at age 45.
“you're at a, you know, world championship level at 45, for sure”
Listen at 2:42:37
Sterling wants his next fight to be for the title.
“Ideally, I would like to fight for the title next.”
Listen at 2:43:39
Coaches should study and teach Aaron Pico’s left hook.
“they should study it. They should teach that left hook.”
Listen at 2:44:41
Welterweight is an ideal division for the tall, large Euros Barboza.
“At 70. That's perfect for him because he's big, man. He's so tall.”
Listen at 2:45:24
The United States provides liberties and freedoms unavailable in many countries.
“we are blessed to be in this country because the we about and complain about these are luxuries, liberties, and freedoms that a lot of these countries do not have.”
Listen at 2:45:46
People from war-torn regions develop a distinct warrior mentality.
“It's a warrior mentality. It's very different.”
Listen at 2:48:36
Historical territorial divisions contribute to ongoing Israel–Palestine conflict.
“It's almost like the. The Israel, Palestine thing. It's all the lands get divided from years ago.”
Listen at 2:51:27
Wrestling is the main culprit behind many MMA injuries.
“all the injuries in mma, basically. What were you doing? Wrestling.”
Listen at 2:55:55
Funk Harbor doubled its business from the previous year after two years.
“We're two years in as of August 1st, and we doubled ourselves from. From last year.”
Listen at 2:56:35
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
What people are saying
Sterling’s Rogan appearance jumps from UFC pay to a Serbia–Albania detour
Episode reactions
- The most visible audience reaction focused on Sterling’s unexpected Serbia–Albania tangent, described as a quintessentially sprawling Rogan conversation.
- One post mocked Sterling’s Funk Harbor Rum promotion as an especially awkward marketing appearance.
Wider topic conversation
- Rogan’s criticism of UFC win bonuses sparked wider debate over guaranteed fighter pay and judging risk.
- MMA discussion also centered on weight cutting, same-day weigh-ins, and how Sterling assessed Ian Garry’s matchup with Islam Makhachev.
- Several posts amplified Rogan’s speculation that Makhachev could retire after UFC 330, though that conversation was broader than this episode.
Featuring
Aljamain SterlingListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.