Nurideen Shabazz, better known as Deen The Great, had a whirlwind round of confrontations that has taken yet another sharp turn, this time, pulling a former UFC champion directly into the orbit. After back-to-back incidents surrounding Larry Wheels and Tiki Ghosn, Shabazz has now shifted his attention toward Aljamain Sterling. Sterling called out Deen and has openly expressed his willingness to box the influencer-turned-fighter.

Shabazz laid out some terms. He indicated readiness to meet Sterling under the boxing ruleset, which is without elbows, and clarified he would go as high as 140 pounds. Deen The Great also pointed back to Tiki Ghosn, the very figure from his recent viral altercation. He suggested Ghosn should help arrange the matchup. Most likely on the livestream hosted by former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, where he got knocked out by Ghosn with a powerful elbow strike.

Aljamain Sterling enters Deen the Great drama

Aljamain Sterling, following the incidents with Tiki and Wheels, said, “ Y’all thinking I can’t box as a comedian. I’m no Topuria, but fast like unorthodox. Y’all just say anything I would love to box this dude up for the MMA world.” Deen The Great took these words into account and said: ““I’d beat the f**k out this ni**a. Hey Tiki, set this s**t up, bruh! Tiki, Tiki, me and you either gotta fade and I gotta beat your a** in the ring, cuz you ain’t finna elbow me, b***h. If your fat ass can’t get to 135 — you wanna fight at 140? I’m down to fight at 140. Don’t matter what the weight is, I’ll beat the s**t out you.” 

The interesting part is how the narrative pivoted from apology to escalation. Built over all of this is Dana White’s unexpected presence in the storyline. What began as Shabazz attempting to address the Ghosn altercation soon turned into a direct callout of the UFC CEO, seemingly triggered by White sharing the knockout clip on social media. Shabazz dared White to “bring one of your fighters” into a boxing ring. And Sterling thus stepped up. He wants to keep White’s respect and become his champion in front of the 25-year-old.

Sterling has long been in the field of combat sports. His combat career dates back to a time when Shabazz was barely a teenager. And the influencer turned boxer has mostly been involved in exhibition bouts and influencer-driven cards. Sterling’s almost three decades of MMA pedigree have been built across 30 professional fights against elite competitors, which sure contrasts heavily with Deen The Great’s brief boxing record.

Why did Tiki Ghosn attack ‘Deen The Great’?

Let’s dive into how it all started. During a recent livestream, ‘Deen The Great’, accused former UFC fighter Tiki Ghosn of pretending not to know who he was. The influencer went a step further, claiming the former MMA fighter was showing off in front of women. Ghosn responded by bringing up Shabazz being slapped by Larry Wheels- a comment that clearly struck a nerve. Things escalated as ‘Deen The Great’ threatened to “slap the s**t out of” the former UFC star.

Ghosn did not let the disrespect slide and elbowed Shabazz in the face, sending him crashing to the ground. Deen The Great has been involved in multiple viral incidents that have occurred during his time on livestreams with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Ghosn, who competed in professional MMA fights, achieved 10 wins and 8 losses, and now works as an athlete manager after ending his active fighting career.