UFC 288: Aljamain Sterling keeps on winning — and inspiring his teammates along the way

World championship belt. His name atop the marquee. His face displayed in extremely large size on the side of sports venues. They are the byproducts of the goal set by Uniondale’s Aljamain Sterling when he reached the UFC.

And it was obvious from the first time he set foot in Ray Longo’s MMA gym in Garden City more than a decade ago that he could achieve that goal.

"The potential was there from the beginning,” longtime teammate, friend and cornerman Al Iaquinta said. “He had the right attitude. It was just a matter of time.”

But Sterling, the reigning UFC bantamweight champion, had another goal as well. One perhaps less glamorous to the outside world.

“Getting into the sport was about changing my life and traveling the world meeting great people, and I was able to do a lot of it,” Sterling said. “I got to travel the world with my friends, my training partners, show friends and family a different side of life that we never knew was possible growing up where we grew up. So I feel like I've already won.”

Sterling will look to keep winning on Saturday when he makes his third bantamweight title defense and first headlining bout at UFC 288 at Prudential Center in Newark. In his way will be Henry Cejudo, a former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion and Olympic gold medalist in wrestling who returns after a three-year retirement from mixed martial arts.

Sterling, one of 19 siblings, indeed has changed his life. And on his way to the top, the way he has conducted himself has not gone unnoticed by his Serra-Longo teammates.

“When I see him, I just see a friend but when it comes to this MMA environment, he is just a huge inspiration,” said Nazim Sadykhov, who won his UFC debut last February. “You understand that you have a friend that has reached these heights and he makes you believe that it's possible for you as well.”

Dennis Buzukja, who has twice fought on Dana White’s Contender Series, used to live with Sterling and Iaquinta and has trained alongside them for years. He, too, looks at Sterling as a source of self-motivation.

“Aljo was where I am now,” Buzukja said. “Once Aljo moved out, I went into his room. So I'm literally following his footsteps. I might as well just wear his underwear. That's the only thing left.”

Sterling is a tireless worker and student of his sport. He also teaches it.

“Whenever he pulls up, the house is full,” Sadykhov said. “He's so creative with what he teaches. Just even the rounds that we roll or whatever he teaches in class, I literally use that stuff in fights and it literally got me out of trouble in fights.”

Sterling’s effect on the other fighters in the gym goes beyond teaching and drilling. He also leads by example.

“I see Aljo doing abs after training, I start doing abs after training,” said Matt Frevola, who fights Drew Dober on the UFC 288 prelims. “I see Aljo getting on the bike after training, I get on the bike after training. It's motivating.”

A look at Sterling's fight resume provides tangible verification of that motivation. Sterling ranks among the top six in 15 different UFC bantamweight career stats. He's top three in eight of those categories and first in three, including most wins (13, tied with T.J. Dillashaw), control time (1:04:36) and longest winning streak at 8, a spot he's tied with longtime friend and training partner Merab Dvalishvili.

But those are just the numbers. The true measure of Sterling's impact on the sport hits closer to home.

Last week, after a morning training session and an afternoon open workout and Q&A for fans and media, Sterling paced around the gym. He wanted more work. Perhaps some jiu-jitsu drills. Perhaps just a cardio session on the bike. Or maybe he could find someone to hit mitts and go through some striking drills.

“That’s definitely the usual Aljo,” said Buzukja, the guy who wound up striking with Sterling. “He does eight rounds back-to-back. Pretty much every round was a fresh guy. And then he'll ask us if we're overworking, like we might need a day off or take session off. We're like 'Dude, do you see yourself? Man, take your own advice.'”

Buzukja, and anyone else who crosses path with Sterling in the gym, draws inspiration from his work ethic.

“The dreams aren't just dreams,” Buzukja said. “It's a real thing. Watching him do it and at the highest level, I know I can do it. Just seeing them is such a big motivation. Like, it's real, it's tangible. I can touch it. I feel it. I can see it.”

Even closer to reaching their championship dream is Dvalishvili, the No. 1 ranked bantamweight in the UFC, one spot below Sterling, the champion.

Sterling has said in interviews that he’d consider at some point vacating his bantamweight title and moving up to 145 pounds so Dvalishvili, his friend and next-door neighbor in Las Vegas, could get a chance to become champion.

“It speaks to how good a guy he is,” Dvalishvili said. “He doesn’t have to say that. He’s the champion.”

By Mark La Monica

mark.lamonica@newsday.comLaMonicaMark

Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.