Aljamain Sterling out of UFC 307 vs. Movsar Evloev due to injury

An impactful featherweight fight is no longer on the upcoming UFC schedule.

Former bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] announced Wednesday he’s withdrawing from his bout vs. [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] due to an injury. The three-round fight was expected to take place Oct. 5 at UFC 307 from Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

“Unfortunately I have to break the news I will not be competing in Salt Lake City at UFC 307,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “In sparring, I had an injury, not requiring surgery, but I was advised by the UFC medical staff that I will not be able to properly compete in this short of a turnaround.”

With Sterling (24-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC) out, it’s unclear if Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) will remain on the card. While he did not specify the injury, he shared a clip of himself from training where sparring partner Jeremy Kennedy appeared to tweak his arm with a kimura attempt from the bottom.

“I apologize to Movsar and his team because, of course, we’ve both been talking, and I was really looking forward to punching this guy in his face,” Sterling said. “So, Movsar, if you still really want to punch this handsome face, I put the challenge out to you to push the fight back and wait for Daddy. I will be back soon. We could possibly do this in December.”

I believe God has a plan and is protecting me to give my best for @MovsarUFC. I need all my tools for an opponent like Movsar and hopefully he’s willing to fight me when I’m healed up. Thank you to the @UFC medical team for looking out for my health and protecting me from myself.… pic.twitter.com/9nJVf14mew

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) September 18, 2024

With the change, the UFC 307 fight card includes: