UFC bantamweight contenders Aljamain Sterling and Raphael Assuncao will square off on December 9th in Albany, New York.
Aljamain Sterling won’t be fighting on the big Madison Square Garden card next month, but he will be on the UFC’s December event in New York’s capital city. The bantamweight contender will square off against Raphael Assuncao at UFC Fight Night 102 on Friday, December 9th. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto tweeted the news on Tuesday.
Sterling (12-1) suffered the first loss of his career in his last fight, as Bryan Caraway beat him by split decision in May. The Long Island native had previously scored three consecutive stoppage wins over Hugo Viana, Takeya Mizugaki, and Johnny Eduardo. Following the Eduardo fight, and a highly publicized free agency decision, the 27-year-old signed a new contract with the UFC.
Assuncao (23-5) returned to action following nearly 2 full years on the sidelines due to injuries, but lost a unanimous decision to TJ Dillashaw at UFC 200. That snapped his undefeated run at bantamweight, having won his previous 7 bouts, including a split decision win over Dillashaw in 2013. The Brazilian’s most recent win was by unanimous decision against Caraway.
Current UFC rankings have Sterling at #8 and Assuncao at #3.
UFC Fight Night: Albany will stream live on UFC Fight Pass. The card takes place on the eve of UFC 206 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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