Combat & UFC
Aljamain Sterling Warns MMA Training Camps Must Adopt Boxing Model to Succeed
The Ariel Helwani Show
LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS! Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Jon Anik, Aljamain Sterling ALL IN STUDIO | TAHS | 7/10/26
"The team thing is so played out. You got guys that come on the mat, some of these big gyms and there's like 40 50 bodies on the mat, 30 whatever. You can't service all those guys. If it's a young fight team, amateur team, you need to do that because this way you give everybody the same blueprint, the same foundational starting point so they can grow. But then as they start to develop and take fights, get experience, you need to start to hone in to that more boxing, boxing type of style."
Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling argued that MMA training camps must transition from the traditional team model to a boxing-style approach where training is built around individual fighters. Sterling criticized gyms with 40-50 fighters on the mat, saying coaches can't properly service everyone. He pointed to examples like Sean O'Malley, Henry Cejudo, and Demetrious Johnson as fighters who've successfully adopted individualized training focused on their specific needs rather than generic team practices. Sterling emphasized that practices should be structured with fighters in different stations working on matchup-specific skills rather than going through one-size-fits-all team drills.
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The Ariel Helwani Show