Chasing Checkmate: Aljamain Sterling's quest to tilt the game in his favor at UFC 292 - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — ALJAMAIN STERLING, arguably the best bantamweight in UFC history, casually walks into a downtown apartment complex in phenomenal spirits. He's about to engage in one of his favorite pastimes — an activity that challenges his mind and resolve unlike anything else. It can play tricks on him, give him a sense of confidence, mere moments before a sudden defeat. It requires him to always be one step ahead and instantly recover from any misstep.

Sterling isn't about to fight in the Octagon. He's about to play chess.

«It's very addicting, man,» Sterling says. «I learned it not too long ago during [the COVID-19 pandemic], and it's kind of a mainstay for me now. Just playing all the time. Very frustrating, though. It's a very humbling, frustrating game.»

Sterling (23-3) is scheduled to defend his 135-pound title against Sean O'Malley (16-1) on Saturday in the main event of UFC 292 inside Boston's TD Garden. The 34-year-old already has the most wins in UFC bantamweight history and will have essentially cleaned out the division after fighting O'Malley. Should he win, Sterling will have beaten four of the top five bantamweights ranked behind him, with the only exception being his friend, Merab Dvalishvili, whom he says he'll never fight.

Quietly, Sterling has put together one of the most impressive divisional reigns. He is 15-3 since his UFC debut in 2014. Two of those losses came via split decisions against Bryan Caraway and Raphael Assuncao, respectively, that could have gone his way. The third was a knockout loss to Marlon Moraes in 2017, in a matchup he says he took too lightly and greatly learned from. Sterling is 9-0 since then.

There are parallels to Sterling's career, and his newfound love. In a way, every UFC