Eduardo thinks 'insecure' Sterling 'should ask his mom permission' to fight him

Johnny Eduardo may have been away from the Octagon for a year and a half, but his trash talking hasn't suffered at all.  A top 10 bantamweight ever since he knocked out Eddie Wineland in May of 2014, the Brazilian has now been paired with surging prospect, Aljamain Sterling, who has already begun to taunt Eduardo on the internet.

As far as Johnny is concerned, though, all that means is that Sterling is insecure and afraid of fighting him.

"Sterling is using the wrong approach to get at me. "Eduardo told Combate. "He wants to get in my head, but I'm used to seeing hell all the time. He doesn't know my life or my story. I laugh at the things he says, because I see that he's emotionally out of control. His fear is crystal clear, his insecurity is obvious. He's like a dog that barks, barks and barks, but doesn't bite. He's only thinking of attacking in order to defend himself. He's trying to sell this image of him being dangerous, but the truth is he's shitting himself out of fear. He goes on my Twitter everyday, he must be in love with me if he goes through my life like that."

Even though Sterling is undefeated in 11 bouts and coming off an impressive submission over veteran Takeya Mizugaki, Eduardo claims Aljamain tries to talk his way up the rankings and he's having none of that.

"This punk is so concerned about his future in the UFC that he tries to promote himself overnight. That doesn't exist, he's living in a fantasy land inside his head. He should have to ask his mom's permission to fight me. He needs to respect his opponents, I'm no chicken. The mind is an enemy for those who can't control it and his mind is disturbing him. He's good at talking, but with me, it's a different story."

Johnny Eduardo is scheduled to take on Aljamain Sterling at UFC Fight Night 80, on December 10, in Las Vegas. The card will be headlined by strawweights, Paige VanZant and Joanne Calderwood.