In Saturday's UFC Fight Night 257 co-main event, Sterling (20-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC) cruised to a unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) win over Ortega (16-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) at Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai.

Aljamain Sterling vs. Brian Ortega squared off in a catchweight contest earlier tonight (Sat. Aug. 23, 2025) live on ESPN+ inside Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China. In a dominant showing, Sterling picked apart Ortega for much of five rounds.

Plenty were shocked to see the fight go ahead, and when he did enter the cage, ‘T-City’ offered little offense to trouble Sterling. John McCarthy, for one, saw a man who is not as motivated and passionate about fighting as he once was.