Aljamain Sterling
Wants to fight: The winner of [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]
The callout: “To do what I did, I think it really solidifies everything that I am the next guy that deserves a title shot. Yesterday, Dana did some scrums and Dana White was saying that this fight was pretty much a title eliminator – that’s what it was. So I think going out there, doing what I did solidifies it. So I should be the next guy up, and if they don’t make the next fight between Jose Aldo and Petr Yan, sign me up!”
The reality: Is there really any argument at this stage? For my money, [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] should be facing Yan for the bantamweight title right now, but the UFC has opted to hand the shot to Aldo instead. It meant Sterling was handed a dangerous test at UFC 250, and “Funkmaster” passed with flying colors. Now there surely can be no debate – he simply has to be next.
There’s a strong argument that if contracts haven’t yet been signed for an Aldo-Yan title fight, Sterling still deserves to be in that fight for the vacant title. But it seems the UFC are locked in on Aldo over Aljo for the time being.
The only thing Sterling can really hope for at this stage is for the Aldo-Yan fight to go off without a hitch, and for the bout to produce a definitive result. Then the New Yorker should get his shot on a full camp and give himself the best chance to realize the potential that we’ve seen inside the octagon since his arrival back in 2014.
Next up: Former champion offers an “old-school” idea
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