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Sterling: My 'funk jitsu' is better than Assuncao's jiu-jitsu

Bill Streicher / USA TODAY

After suffering the first loss of his career, Aljamain Sterling is jumping right back into the deep end of the contenders' pool.

The 27-year-old Sterling faces No. 4-ranked bantamweight Raphael Assuncao on Saturday at UFC on FOX 23 in Denver, and "The Funk Master" is confident his grappling is superior to that of his more experienced opponent.

"I match up statistically well on paper with Raphael Assuncao," Sterling told Newsday's Mark La Monica. "Striking, I think I match up well with him in that department. Kicks, I think I match up well with him in that department. I'm the longer fighter, I'm the younger fighter, I got the wrestling pedigree. I got just as good jiu-jitsu, if not better.

"My 'funk jitsu' is a lot better than his traditional jiu-jitsu. It's gonna be catch wrestling versus the old-school style. It's cool, people want to count me out, it's fine. I believe in myself. I don't need nobody to believe in me but me and my team."

In Sterling's last fight, he lost a split decision to Bryan Caraway. After a strong start, Sterling faded in Rounds 2 and 3, leaving the door open for Caraway to outpoint him.

To avoid another letdown, Sterling and his team landed in Colorado three weeks in advance of UFC on FOX 23 to acclimate to the high altitude that is notorious for wreaking havoc on a fighter's cardio. He'll need to be at his best to top Assuncao, who has just one loss in his past eight bouts.

"A win over him lets everyone know I'm still legit and I'm here to stay and I'm here to still be a contender in this division."

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