Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling plans to guarantee himself a title shot with a victory in his next fight.
Aljamain Sterling and Movsar Evloev will clash at UFC 307 on October 5th in Salt Lake City. The two top featherweights will look to assert themselves as the next title challenger to the winner of the expected Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway booking.
Aljamain Sterling got back on track in the Octagon by defeating Calvin Kattar in a lopsided victory at UFC 300. He opted to make the full-time move to featherweight after losing the UFC bantamweight title last year.
Aljamain Sterling, once considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, is looking to make a statement at UFC 307. A win over Movsar Evloev, particularly a quick finish, and Sterling expects the next title shot.
Aljamain Sterling expects title shot after Movsar Evloev
In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Sterling shared what’s on the line with a win over Movsar Evloev at UFC 307.
“I go out there and I finish Movsar Evloev in the first round, I’m getting a guaranteed title shot,” Sterling said. “I can’t see any other way around it. I 100 percent believe that…
“The guy’s undefeated, ranked fifth right now. 6 or 7-0 in the UFC. I go out there, a former champion, come up and 30-27’d Calvin Kattar, and dominate Movsar Evloev, it’s hard to deny me. Who else is there? Why not me?”
Before the win over Kattar, Sterling lost by TKO to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292, ending his reign as the UFC bantamweight champion. After a long-teased move to featherweight, he felt this next chapter of his career was the perfect opportunity to compete in a new weight class.
Evloev remains unbeaten in his professional MMA career with recent wins over Diego Lopes and Arnold Allen. A win over Sterling could also make himself a strong argument for the next title shot.