Aljamain Sterling is shifting his focus from his professional mixed martial arts career of more than 13 years to compete in a grappling contest at the Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship (ADXC) – a new event that brings renowned martial arts fighters to the cage to compete in a variety of combat sports.
The former UFC bantamweight champion meets fellow American Chase Hooper in a No Gi match in the main card of the ADXC-2 at the Mubadala Arena at Zayed Sports City on Friday.
Sterling lost his UFC title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in Boston in August, thus ending his nine-fight win streak in the promotion that also included three successful title defences.
One of those title defences included a TKO victory over TJ Dillashaw at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi in October 2022.
While Sterling, 34, is still aiming for another shot at the title, he found the challenge of a new grappling contest against a taller and heavier opponent, who is also 10 years his junior, too alluring to turn down.
“Hopefully my opponent [Hooper] is a willing dance partner and we put on a show for the fans in the main event,” Sterling told The National.
“I’m looking forward to competing against another tough dude, another tough fighter, and we’re going to see how good his grappling is.
“Of course, I’m going up a weight class [from bantamweight to lightweight]. He just went up a weight class [in MMA]. And so, that’s my opportunity to see where I’m at with the bigger opponent and see how I can handle that weight class change.”
Sterling is 1.70 metres tall and weighs 61kgs while Hooper stands at 1.85 and tips the scales at 70kgs.
Grappling is part of Sterling’s regular MMA training and is expected to test Hooper, who will bring his jiu-jitsu expertise to the mat.
“Grappling and jiu-jitsu are part of my training. I had a little bit more emphasis on grappling to prepare for this contest,” Sterling said of his preparations.
“My main job is obviously still fighting. I don’t just stop fighting so I can focus on this. I trust my grappling skills and what it’s able to do for me in the MMA space.
“So just tighten some things up and have some fun. I think the cage atmosphere, that little detail is gonna make things more unique to what I’m really good at. I use the cage really well. That’s gonna be one of my advantages in this competition.”
Sterling has an impressive 23-4 record in MMA career record (15-4 in UFC). However, Hooper is no pushover, holding an impressive record of 13-3, including (5-3 in UFC).
Sterling believes his skills can negate his opponent's height and weight advantage.
“He is definitely the bigger guy from a weight standpoint but I want to test myself for the next fight,” he said.
“Height and weight advantage does matter but it is the skills that are the most important thing for me. I can use the cage advantage a little better and this is based on real competition.
“I’m going to give 110 per cent for a win. There is no punching and kicking, but other than that the intensity going to be high and I’m going back to my roots in grappling and jiu-jitsu in this contest.”
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
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Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
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Rating: 4/5
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The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
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Assi Al Hallani
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
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