Aljamain Sterling has made an impact in the UFC’s bantamweight division. | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Top 10 bantamweight Aljamain Sterling will be out until at least late summer as he recovers from hernia surgery.
Rivera told UFC Tonight that Sterling is gunning for a Top 10 opponent when he returns to action later this year.
The 25-year-old Serra-Longo Fight Team representative has won three straight fights in the UFC and is unbeaten in 11 professional outings overall. Most recently, he submitted Japanese veteran Takeya Mizugaki with an arm-triangle choke 2:11 into the third round of their encounter at UFC on Fox 15.
The win over Mizugaki was Sterling’s first Octagon appearance since July 2014: A hand injury forced him out of a matchup with Mitch Gagnon last October, while a November bout with Frankie Saenz was eventually canceled.