An Octagon veteran who has been involved in some of the most stressful situations the sport has ever seen, Sterling has a strong grasp on the mentality needed to thrive in the UFC and is confident Buzukja possesses this mindset.
“Personally, I always get more nervous for my teammates’ fights more than I do for myself,” Sterling said. “Dennis is a gamer, he shows up on gameday, and if there’s anyone I have absolute faith in, it’s him.”
It’s not just Sterling supporting Buzukja, as Buzukja’s passionate Albanian fanbase is rallying around the featherweight prospect, as well. Despite not having his first UFC bout, Buzukja has already established a devoted base of fellow Albanians that come in droves to watch him fight on the east coast regional circuit.
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“His Albanian community is insane, man, those guys are nuts,” Sterling laughed. “They’re a tight-knit community. The Albanians tend to rally around each other if they’re doing good, so that’s always cool to see.”
On top of a maniacal group of Albanian fight fans cheering him on, Buzukja also has the unwavering support of the Long Island mixed martial arts community, spearheaded by the legendary Serra-Longo fight team.
“The gym has been buzzing because we have so many guys back-to-back on the Contender Series,” Sterling said. “They have myself, Merab, Chris Weidman, Al Iaquinta, Matt Serra, Pete ‘Drago’ Sell, to look at as pioneers from just our gym alone, so it makes them hungrier to want to succeed and join that pack of elite guys who all come from such a small place on Long Island.”
