Aljamain Sterling addresses UFC not allowing Funk Harbor liquor bottles at presser

TL;DR

Aljamain Sterling addressed the UFC's request to remove his Funk Harbor liquor bottles during a press conference, despite having prior permission from an executive. He chose not to escalate the situation and maintained a positive relationship with UFC staff.

Key points

Aljamain Sterling defeated Youssef Zalal at UFC Fight Night 274.
Sterling had permission to display Funk Harbor liquor bottles.
UFC staff requested the removal of the bottles during a press conference.
Sterling chose not to escalate the situation and maintained professionalism.
He expressed gratitude for the UFC team's support.

Mentioned in this story

Aljamain SterlingYoussef ZalalUFC

Funk Harbor

Aljamain Sterling is not one to create a ruckus if he can help it.

Sterling (26-5) dominantly defeated Youssef Zalal at UFC Fight Night 274 last weekend. Something unusual occurred at the pre-fight press conference that captured the attention of fans and pundits. Sterling had placed two bottles of his “Funk Harbor” liquor in front of him at the presser. However, a UFC staff member suddenly asked Sterling to remove the bottles, and “Funkmaster” obliged without any fuss.

Sterling recently revealed that he had permission from UFC executive Hunter Campbell to display his bottles, which he had been doing for his past few fights. Sterling claims he has barely had any issues with the UFC staff, barring a stray incident when he was bantamweight champion. Sterling says the UFC staff member who recently asked him to remove the bottles later made it up to him. According to Sterling, he could have easily gotten confrontational, but decided not to, as it wouldn’t have helped anyone.

A Solid Relationship

“That was a weird one,” Sterling said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “Hunter told me I could do it in the past and I've done it for the last four fights. I was kind of confused… They were like, ‘It’s not a sponsor.’... I was like, ‘You’re lucky I love you Nabi.’ They take care of us behind the scenes. They are always pleasant for me to work with. I’ve had only one incident with one other worker before… They were being kind of an a**. And I was champ at that time and they were trying to violate me. I was like, ‘Bro, na we’re not doing that.’ I just try to handle everything with class as best as I can. I could easily flip the script and just be that guy. But it doesn’t get anybody anywhere. She did right by me afterwards and allowed me to take some photos with the UFC team. She made up for it, and I spoke to her afterwards.”

Since the UFC 2015 deal with Reebok, fighters are not allowed to wear logos of private sponsors on their gear, limiting their sponsorship opportunities.

Aljamain Sterling on UFC officials taking away his Funk Harbor bottles at the pre-fight presser:

Q&A

Why did Aljamain Sterling have to remove his Funk Harbor liquor bottles at the UFC presser?

Aljamain Sterling was asked to remove the bottles because UFC staff claimed they were not a sponsor, despite him having prior permission from executive Hunter Campbell.

What was Aljamain Sterling's reaction to the UFC staff's request?

Sterling complied with the request without confrontation, emphasizing his desire to handle the situation with class.

How has Aljamain Sterling's relationship been with UFC staff in the past?

Sterling reported having a generally positive relationship with UFC staff, with only one previous incident of conflict during his time as bantamweight champion.