Former UFC lightweight champion Aljamain Sterling supported lightweight Arman Tsarukyan's decision to withdraw from his fight against champion Islam Makhachev.
On April 13, Tsarukyan won a split decision over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. After the fight, the Armenian was offered to fight Makhachev on June 1 at UFC 302, but he declined. In the end, the title fight went to Dustin Porier.
"Title fights on short notice are risky business. I think Tsarukian did the right thing. I'd rather see him and Islam in better shape after a full camp. If Dustin Porier doesn't draw upsets in June. Exciting times!" - Sterling wrote on social media X.
Sean O'Malley, UFC lightweight champion, doesn't rule out that undefeated welterweight Movsar Yevloev could be the next opponent for Aljamain Sterling, the promotion's former featherweight champion.
"Aljo won by a boring decision, so who will be his opponent in the welterweight division now? How about Diego Lopez? Although I think they'll give him Movsar Yevloev," O'Malley said on his YouTube channel.
It's worth noting that Sterling made his debut in the welterweight division on April 14 at the UFC 300th anniversary event, beating Kelvin Kattar by judge's decision. Yevloev had time to react to that win by challenging Aljamain. According to Movsar, he and Sterling, being two grapplers, will show a great fight.
Aljamain Sterling, former UFC flyweight champion, spoke out about a potential fight between Max Holloway and Elijah Topuria, the promotion's featherweight champion.
"It's a very appealing fight. I think it's the footwork that makes Max a tough opponent. Styles make fights. Max has a hell of a strong chin and Elijah can punch, can't he? He goes at you until he pins you to the net, and then he throws a combination and knocks guys out. The question is, can he do that to Max? Will Max trade with him near the cage where Elijah shines? This fight has an interesting dynamic," Sterling said on The MMA Hour podcast
Aljamain Sterling, a former UFC flyweight champion who recently made a successful debut in the welterweight division, would not want Max Holloway, a former featherweight champion, to return to the division.
"Gaethje missed a clean punch right to the jaw. Dudes, it was beautiful, the right overhand lied right on target. Unfortunately, Gatji had to absorb it, that's the way the game is. I know what it's like to fall face first and it sucks, hope Gatji is ok.I'm a fan of both guys and that was awesome. I hope Max leaves his ass at lightweight. We don't want him to come back," Sterling said on The MMA Hour podcast.
Not too long ago, Aljamain Sterling expressed his dissatisfaction with his win over Kelvin Kattar. He said that he needed to win more convincingly. However, earlier today, Sterling posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he called the win the most dominant win on the UFC 300 card.
"Our fight with Kattar at UFC 300 wasn't the most exciting fight, I agree. But it was the most dominant win in the entire card. I was probably in the top 3 in the tournament in terms of dominating my opponent. And it's important to look at this in context - Kattar usually throws 4-5 punches per minute on average. I cut that down to 0.5 per 15 minutes," Sterling said in a video on his channel.