PHOENIX – Aljamain Sterling (17-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) turned in one of the best performances of his career, shutting out a durable Jimmie Rivera (22-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) over the course of three rounds.

The bantamweight bout closed out the preliminary card of today’s UFC on ESPN 1 event at Talking Stick Resort Arena. It aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+.

Sterling rushed forward at the start of the fight and quickly pushed Rivera to the fence, controlling with underhooks while hunting a trip. Rivera defended well, eventually circling off the cage and landing a few right hands to the body before pulling away and resetting in the center.

Sterling continued to press with strikes before diving forward and again hunting the takedown. Rivera again sprawled well against the fence and remained upright, though Sterling refused to give up on his efforts. Sterling stomped the feet and landed a few knees inside as they battled for position, though they were eventually pulled apart with 90 seconds left.

On the restart, Sterling nearly landed clean with a high kick as his opponent rushed forward, but Rivera was able to move past it and get inside on his own takedown attempt. Sterling was also capable in defense, and he landed a few knees inside as he worked to stay on his feet.

Sterling opened quickly with kicks to start the second, though a leaping effort allowed Rivera to press him to the floor. Undaunted, Sterling looked for an armbar that forced his opponent to back away. They restarted on the feet, and Sterling immediately drove inside for another takedown. Rivera again proved capable in defense, sprawling, circling and pulling away to the center. Rivera briefly lost his mouthpiece, leading to a quick timeout.

Sterling continued to flash kicks on the feet, and a spinning backfist dropped Rivera. Sterling slipped but saw his opening and rushed forward to continue the attack. Rivera backed up to the cage to recover, but Sterling peppered him with punches to the body and head. River again lost his mouthpiece and was warned to keep it secure.

On the restart, Rivera was able to stop a takedown and control the head briefly, taking a quick breather in the process, but Sterling was quick to get back to his feet and flash quick, straight punches. Sterling chopped at the legs a bit, as well, looking comfortable on his feet until the bell.

Sterling landed a big kick to the body to start the third and then slipped a huge counter in return. Rivera was clearly energized and looking to press, but Sterling was unfazed while looking relaxed on the feet. Every Rivera punch came at full power, but Sterling did well to evade the blows while looking to counter. Sterling got briefly inside on a single, but Rivera was able to turn and pull away.

Sterling eventually was toppled off-balance to the floor, and Rivera took top position with two minutes left, working past his opponent’s legs to get control. However, Sterling quickly turned to his knees and crawled back to his feet, pulling away and again looking to strike. Sterling used a good blend of punches and kicks to combat Rivera’s power attacks. Sterling tried for a late takedown, but Rivera sprawled and controlled the head, though the bell sounded before he could capitalize. In the end, judges gave it to Sterling in a clean sweep, 30-27 on all three cards.

Sterling now owns a three-fight winning streak, while Rivera falls to 1-2 in his past three appearances.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 1 results include:

• Aljamain Sterling def. Jimmie Rivera via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Manny Bermudez def. Benito Lopez via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 3:09
• Andrea Lee def. Ashlee Evans-Smith via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Nik Lentz def. Scott Holtzman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Luke Sanders def. Renan Barao via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:01
• Emily Whitmire def. Aleksandra Albu via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:01

For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN 1, check out the UFC Events section of the site.