Aljamain Sterling is considering MMA layoff

[Edge Guerrero]

going back to school due to lack of fights, pay

By Marc Raimondi  @marc_raimondi on Sep 23, 2015, 10:30p

Aljamain Sterling is supposed to fight in December at UFC on FOX 17. The problem is he doesn't have an opponent. And if he doesn't get one, the top bantamweight might just decide to go back to school to get his Master's degree.

Sterling is not happy these days. He has been asking for a fight with Bryan Caraway, but he said Caraway has turned down the bout. Caraway is ranked No. 7 among UFC bantamweight contenders, while Sterling is No. 6. No one else has stepped up to fight him Dec. 19 in Orlando, either.

If no foe signs a contract, the Long Island native will have a decision to make. The next college semester begins in January and he might enroll. Sterling plans on seeking his Master's in health. He has also been considering taking a full- or part-time teaching job at a nearby high school.

Either one of those things could mean Sterling will take a break from MMA.

"If they can't guarantee me something sooner, barring that I don't get injured, I'm gonna have to go back to school and just do what's best for me," Sterling told MMA Fighting. "If that includes taking a layoff, then I guess I've gotta take a layoff and actually do something positive with it."

Read more at:http://www.mmafighting.com/2015/9/23/9390055/aljamain-sterling-is-considering-mma-layoff-going-back-to-school-due