Former UFC Champ Aljamain Sterling Defeats Mike Grundy in Polaris 25 Super Fight
Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has defeated Mike Grundy by decision in the main event of Polaris 14.
The two grapplers barely touched the ground over the course of the full 10-minute round, instead opting to wait until either opponent made a mistake. This lead to the fight largely being Sterling and Grundy hand-fighting for superior posture.
"We have two high-level wrestlers, man. Sometimes it's gonna be like that - someone's gotta make the first mistake. So that's pretty much what it came down to," Sterling explained in his post-fight speech.
"Funk Master" was initially scheduled to face Nathaniel Wood, but the British fighter withdrew from the bout after securing a fight against Muhammad Naimov at UFC 294 in October. As a replacement opponent, Sterling was pitted against Grundy, a highly respected English grappler renowned for his freestyle wrestling skills.
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Grundy joined the UFC in 2019 and remained a part of it until 2022. The British fighter secured a victory in his debut but subsequently encountered a string of three losses, ultimately resulting in his departure from the organization.
Grundy delivered a great performance against the former UFC champion, neutralizing their engagements and keeping the fight on the feet. Regrettably, this approach resulted in a slow-paced contest for the spectators. Despite this, Sterling, in one way or another, has found his way back into the win column following his shock defeat to Sean O'Malley in August.
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