Aljamain Sterling Calls Ortega Fight a ‘Living Nightmare’ After UFC Shanghai Win. During the UFC Shanghai post-fight show. Aljamain Sterling admitted that during his fight against Brian Ortega at UFC Shanghai on August 23, 2025, he encountered a terrifying moment in the fourth round. After landing a heavy elbow, he suffered a significant injury to his arm
At UFC Shanghai, Aljamain Sterling delivered a masterclass performance against Brian Ortega, securing a dominant unanimous decision victory. Yet, behind Sterling’s calm and calculated display was a moment of panic he described as a “living nightmare.”
“That last elbow I landed in round four, I really couldn’t even keep my arm up to defend myself,” Sterling revealed during the UFC Shanghai post-fight show. “When he came after me, I was like this is like a living nightmare right now”. “Because I can’t even do anything other than circle, and hopefully he makes a mistake, which he did and allowed me to take his back and get him down.”
From the opening bell, Sterling took control of the fight with his crisp jab, precise low kicks, and superior footwork. Ortega, known for his toughness, struggled to find openings as Sterling dictated the pace. In the fourth round, everything changed. After landing a hard elbow, Sterling felt something was wrong. “This for sure happened in the fight,” Sterling said about his elbow injury. “It showed right away in that fifth round.”
Despite the injury, Sterling executed a brilliant tactical shift. In the final round, he went back to his wrestling roots, taking Ortega down and controlling him on the mat, removing any chance of a late comeback. When the final horn sounded, there was no doubt, Sterling had dominated from start to finish.
“He’s been in that position before where he was deathly on the scale and then he comes out and has a great performance,” Sterling said. “ “The Korean Zombie’ [Chang Sung Jung] was one of those performances where he looked like a masterclass boxer and then he knocked him out with the back elbow at the end, right? I knew he was going to be game.
“I knew there was only one reason he wanted it to be five rounds and that was to get me in the later rounds because I’ve shown in the past to fade a little bit. But I was also cutting a tremendous amount of weight getting down to [135 pounds]. I still slowed down a bit but I had some stuff coming into this and thankfully, god was on my side and I was able to get the job done despite all the circumstances coming into this fight.”
”I was happy I got to show off my striking,” Sterling said. “Guys think I can’t box, they think I can’t kick. They think my striking is complete [crap]. I fight unorthodox because I like to take as little damage as possible. These guys come into the fights, they want to actually get into a back and forth fight. “I’m here to win. I’m here to dominate. I’m here to make it look easy and if that makes you think I can’t strike, then step in there with me and see what happens.”
Sterling’s performance at UFC Shanghai was a testament to resilience and composure under pressure. What could have been a disastrous moment in the middle of a fight turned into an inspiring display of tactical brilliance. He faced a nightmare and walked out victorious, reminding fans why he’s one of the most dangerous and determined fighters in the game.
