Fighting is one of the few professional sports where genuine animosity between competitors is almost always beneficial.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
There's room for respect after the fight, of course, but when you're trying to sell a fight, playing up a disagreement – a beef, if you will – and turning it into a full blown war of words is almost encouraged.
According to rising bantamweight start Aljamain Sterling, who takes on Brian Caraway at UFC Fight Night 88 on Monday, it also helps to get the fight in the first place.
If you listen to Caraway, it was Sterling taking shots at him over Twitter that made him agree to the fight but for Stirling, the shots weren't personal.
"My whole thing was to goad the guy into a fight, to get a hard fight to test my skills," the 26-year-old said.
"I couldn't really care less about the guy, I have no feelings towards him in terms of liking him or anything.
"I wanted a tough fight so I called him out for that specific reason…my talking is pretty much done, I did everything I needed to do to goad him into the fight and I couldn't be happier."
For Sterling (12-0, 4-0 in the UFC), Caraway is a means to an end in a division that has undergone a transformation over the last two years.
Once considered one of the weaker UFC divisions, bantamweight is brimming with contenders. From established starts like Uriah Faber, TJ Dillashaw and John Dodson to rising contenders like Thomas Almeida, Michael McDonald and Sterling himself, there's no shortage of contenders and no telling who UFC matchmakers might earmark as the next challenger.
Sterling, a submission machine inside the cage, is a charismatic, articulate operator outside the Octagon.
The only thing he wants more than the title, however, is a matchup for the UFC's historic Madison Square Garden show on November 12.
With the UFC rumoured to be returning to Melbourne in November, he wouldn't be averse to coming back to Australia but an MSG slot is non-negotiable.
He was scheduled to fight at UFC Sydney before his opponent pulled out.
"There are so many different variables that could see me not get that title shot, but to be on a historic card, to be someone who was actually part of that historic event that counts for more in my book, and it looks like this card is going to be bigger than UFC 200 so for me it's definitely worth more to get on the main card of MSG New York," he said.
"I'm all about MSG in November otherwise I would be looking at Australia, but right now my focus is Caraway, then MSG New York.
"Other than that I would definitely love to come out there and be a guest fighter if it's after the New York card, I'd definitely be up for that.
"Australia is a beautiful country and I didn't want to leave when I came over, I was telling everyone how beautiful it was in the water and everything. I could definitely see myself moving out here for sure."
UFC Fight Night 88 is on Monday, with the preliminaries starting at 8am AEST.
