Tag: Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling: Umar Nurmagomedov shouldn’t ride cousin Khabib’s coattails

Aljamain Sterling thinks Umar Nurmagomedov needs to earn his own stripes in the UFC.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] believes [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] needs to earn his stripes.

Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), cousin of former undefeated UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag], was declared No. 1 contender after defeating Cory Sandhagen in the UFC on ABC 7 main event this past August. Sandhagen marked Nurmagomedov’s first ranked opponent.

Sterling’s training partner, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC), is having a hard time acknowledging Nurmagomedov as his next title challenger. Dvalishvili says he’s been fast tracked, and Sterling thinks that’s largely in part due to being Khabib’s cousin.

“I’m not saying he’s not good,” Sterling said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I love Umar. I think Umar is a great guy, but facts are the facts. I don’t care what your cousin has done. That does not have any bearing on what you have done for the sport. You’ve got to cut your teeth in this game, not riding the coattails of your family’s merit.

“I always say if I have kids, I want to make sure they’re not riding off the coattails of what I do or have done in my life. I want to make sure they’re out there, they’re being go-getters. I think anyone with any type of real self-worth would want to do that, earn their keep. You don’t want to be feeling like the person who’s just here because you were handed an invite vs. actually earning to be at the table. Earn your seat at the table.”

Dvalishvili had to win 10 fights in a row before earning his shot at the title. He dethroned Sean O’Malley to claim the bantamweight title at UFC 306, and despite telling MMA Junkie that he’d be willing to rematch O’Malley in November over Nurmagomedov, “The Machine” clarified that he’ll end up fighting whoever the UFC offers.

Nurmagomedov is eager to fight before Ramadan, which is expected to start at end of February. If Dvalishvili isn’t ready by then, Nurmagomedov is willing to fight once more, and has been linked to a potential matchup with Song Yadong at UFC 311 on Jan. 18.

[lawrence-related id=2781477,2779090,2778791,2778537]

Aljamain Sterling: I have ‘a great style’ to neutralize UFC champ Ilia Topuria’s offense

Nobody has figured out an answer for UFC champion Ilia Topuria, but Aljamain Sterling believes he’s got one.

Nobody has figured out an answer for UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], but [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] believes he’s got one.

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) retained his title in Saturday’s UFC 308 main event by becoming the first man to knock out Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC). Former bantamweight champion Sterling (24-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC) will look to emerge as No. 1 contender if he can bounce Movsar Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) from the ranks of the unbeaten at UFC 310 on Dec. 7.

Topuria’s power is a proven problem at 145 pounds, but “The Funkmaster” says he wouldn’t even bother standing with him.

“If I were to fight him, God willing I beat Movsar and I do get the crack, I do think I have a great style to neutralize his offense,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “Bro, most of these guys are striking with him. I ain’t doing that. We’re sitting here looking for our takedown, and we’re going to have to make it a grappling match.

“I’m trying to get the W. I’m not trying to get my head and my brain sent to the next dimension again. I’m good on that. But I think it’s cool that people were even mentioning that. I think that would be a crazy match for multiple reasons. … But I’ve got one other tough opponent in front of me, and then we’ll kind of go from there.”

Sterling has a few other fighters to contend with for a title shot. Diego Lopes weighed in as a backup for Topuria vs. Holloway at UFC 308, and former champion Alexander Volkanovski got Dana White’s approval for a rematch with Topuria next.

[lawrence-related id=2782525,2781364,2782306,2781371]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

UFC 310 adds Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling rescheduled bout

A key UFC featherweight bout is back on the 2024 schedule.

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] is back on the books – and it’ll happen before the end of 2024 (barring further unforeseen circumstances).

The key featherweight fight now takes place Dec. 14 at UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the promotion announced Friday.

Evloev (18-8 MMA, 8-0 UFC) vs. Sterling (24-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC) was initially scheduled for UFC 307 on Oct. 5, but was canceled due to a shoulder injury to the latter. Evloev was later removed from the card.

The bout is an important one at 145 pounds with both fighters at the top of the division. Sterling debuted at UFC 300 in April and defeated Calvin Kattar. The bout was his first since his UFC bantamweight title reign came to an end vs. Sean O’Malley in August 2023.

Evloev has yet to lose in the UFC. He holds wins over Arnold Allen and Diego Lopes among others.

With the addition, the UFC 310 lineup includes:

  • Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev
  • Dominick Reyes vs. Anthony Smith
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Tatiana Suarez
  • Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Clay Guida vs. Chase Hooper
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Max Griffin

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

Aljamain Sterling open to Diego Lopes if Movsar Evloev rebooking falls through

“If I’m going to risk it for the biscuit, that’s the guy I would risk it with,” Aljamain Sterling said of Diego Lopes.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] has another top UFC featherweight contender in mind if he doesn’t end up fighting [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag].

Former bantamweight champion Sterling (24-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC) was forced out of his UFC 307 bout vs. Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) on Oct. 5 due to an injury. Evloev wanted to remain on the card but withdrew after a replacement couldn’t be found.

If the UFC doesn’t rebook him against Evloev at a later date, Sterling is interested in [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC), whom he praised for the way he’s risen.

“I think Diego rising to his stardom and his rise in the sport in the UFC has been huge. It’s nothing short of inspiring, to be honest,” Sterling told The Schmo. “I’m happy for the guy. I got to train with him one time. He was a very nice dude, very polite. I can kind of feel the tension shift a little bit now whenever I see him.

“It seems like there’s a little bit more tension there. It’s not like I’m fighting him tomorrow or he’s my next scheduled fight. So for me, I don’t really see a point in being like that. But I can understand why he’s a little bit more on guard when seeing me or meeting me.”

Sterling sees red-hot Lopes, who’s fresh off battering Brian Ortega at UFC 306, as the opponent to catapult him to title contention.

“If we’re talking about the next best fight, if Movsar declines, I just don’t know who else would he fight,” Sterling said. “But if he gives me the option, I’ve always wanted Brian Ortega, so I could get the closest spot to the top, and now that next closest guy is Diego Lopes.

“That’s all it is. It has nothing to do with what this guy did or that. It’s the name value and what it gets me, risk vs. reward. If I’m going to risk it for the biscuit, that’s the guy I would risk it with.”

[lawrence-related id=2773340,2772467,2771870,2771715]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

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

UFC 307 has taken a blow as Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev is off the upcoming card in Salt Lake City.

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.”

With the change, the UFC 307 fight card includes:

  • Champion Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree – for light heavyweight title
  • Champion Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña – for women’s bantamweight title
  • Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira
  • Movsar Evloev vs. TBA
  • Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista
  • Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland
  • Joaquin Buckley vs. Stephen Thompson
  • Iasmin Lucindo vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington
  • Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieira
  • Ovince Saint Preux vs. Ryan Spann
  • Court McGee vs. Tim Means

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Aljamain Sterling: To say Sean O’Malley looked flat vs. Merab Dvalishvili ‘makes no sense’

Aljamain Sterling rubbishes the claim that Sean O’Malley looked flat at UFC 306 because it takes away from Merab Dvalishvili’s win.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] rubbishes the claim that [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] looked flat at UFC 306.

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was taken down six times en route to a unanimous decision loss to [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in Saturday’s title-fight headliner at Sphere in Las Vegas.

UFC CEO Dana White said he thought O’Malley looked flat, and Sterling is bothered to see credit being taken away from his good friend and training partner. He thinks O’Malley has fought stationary targets for the most part in his career.

“I know people are trying to say that O’Malley looked flat. I think that’s the narrative that Dana was trying to push,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “If I’m being fair, if you look at his fights, his track record of all the guys he’s beaten, they were all punching bags for the most part. … I give credit where due. He was well prepared, but to say he looked flat makes no sense.

“The opening bell when he’s coming out with those feints, those hip twitches that he does so well where he’s shaking off to the side, shaking off to the other side and then looking for those long strikes, he came out exactly like Conor McGregor did against Khabib. Now I gave Merab that same exact look, coming out with the fingers, long, trying to hit the feints and trying to go to the body, trying to go up top.”

Sterling lost his bantamweight title to O’Malley by knockout at UFC 292, so he was able to give Dvalishvili some insight on how to fight him. Sterling is also convinced that O’Malley was told about fighting at Sphere before Dvalishvili, which he says did not make it a level playing field.

“Merab finally got his fair shake. He got a fair fight, although O’Malley probably knew about the Sphere fight before Merab did and had more time to prepare,” Sterling said. “When they announced it for Merab from what I remember, they called him, it was exactly eight weeks.

“Now come on, once again we’re trying to put this ball in the court where he (Merab) has to now scramble around like, ‘OK, I’m fighting here. I’ve got to get all these training partners, make sure everything is dialed in.”

[lawrence-related id=2771867,2772053,2769678,2769586]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Sean O’Malley: Aljamain Sterling ‘probably hopes I beat’ Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306

Sean O’Malley has a theory on Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling’s friendship.

UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] has a theory on [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] and [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]’s friendship.

O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) will look to notch his second title defense when he takes on Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 306 (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) main event at Sphere in Las Vegas.

O’Malley knocked out Dvalishvili’s teammate, Sterling, to claim the bantamweight title at UFC 292. He thinks there isn’t any advice Sterling could give Dvalishvili that would help him in the fight.

“I mean, I don’t know what Aljo’s going to tell Merab,” O’Malley told TMZ. “Like, ‘F*ck, he’s fast, he’s sharp, he’s accurate, he’s hard to take down, good luck.’ There wasn’t a lot of success Aljo had in that fight. If anything, Aljo probably shouldn’t tell him anything because it’s probably just going to make him a little bit nervous.”

Dvalishvili and Sterling made it clear that they would never fight each other, which really irked UFC CEO Dana White. That meant as long as Sterling was champion, the streaking Dvalishvili would not get his well-earned title shot. But when Sterling lost his title to O’Malley, he moved up to featherweight so Dvalishvili can realize his championship aspirations. O’Malley questions if Sterling and Dvalishvili have each other’s best interests at heart.

“Who knows? Aljo probably hopes I beat Merab,” O’Malley said. “It makes Aljo look better. I’m just curious if Merab was happy that I knocked out Aljo because if I didn’t knock out Aljo, Merab still would be waiting around. So I have a little theory that maybe they’re not as good buddies as we all thought.”

[lawrence-related id=2766786,2747383,2740690,2739293]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Aljamain Sterling accuses UFC 307 opponent Movsar Evloev of using PEDs: ‘Where there’s smoke, there’s fire’

“Do I have any hard evidence? Like, did I see the guy stick a needle up his ass? No.” But that didn’t stop Aljamain Sterling from speaking out.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] believes [autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] is using performance-enhancing drugs.

Sterling (24-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC) meets Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in a pivotal featherweight matchup Oct. 5 at UFC 307 from Delta Center in Salt Lake City (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Sterling thinks Evloev isn’t a clean athlete, which previously prompted a back-and-forth between them on social media. Although Evloev never has tested positive for a banned substance, Sterling is convinced that he’s cheating.

”From what I’ve heard through the grapevine, he’s not a clean athlete,” Sterling said in an interview with “Home of Fight.” “People can say whatever, ‘You have no proof.’ I’m like, ‘Dude, same thing people were saying about T.J. Dillashaw from years ago and teaching people how to do it.’ Cody Garbrandt calling him out at the press conference and everyone sweeping it under the rug, telling T.J. direct to his face that you taught everyone at the gym how to do it.

‘Those conversations are not very different from what I’ve had about Movsar, and I think where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Do I have any hard evidence? Like, did I see the guy stick a needle up his ass? No. Did he pop for anything yet? No, maybe he never will. But at the end of the day, only him and his consciousness will know if he’s truly a clean athlete or not. I truly do believe he knows he’s cheating.”

In a battle of two of the most elite grapplers at featherweight, Sterling gives himself the advantage over Evloev standing and on the ground.

“I think I’m going to beat that ass no matter where it goes,” Sterling said. “That’s just my humble opinion and may the best man win.”

[lawrence-related id=2740690,2735832,2733231]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Aljamain Sterling: What happens if Max Holloway can ‘set a little fatigue’ in Ilia Topuria at UFC 308?

Aljamain Sterling sees cardio as a big question mark in UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria’s game.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] sees cardio as a big question mark in UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]’s game.

Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) makes his first title defense against [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in the UFC 308 headliner Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in the second round to claim the title at UFC 298. Sterling thinks Volkanovski had early success before getting caught.

“Topuria is a savage, the guy can crack, but he struggled with Volkanovski in the first round,” Sterling said on “Verse Us with Eric Nicksick“. “And if Volk stuck to his Ps and Qs, just doing what he was doing that helped him win the first round – long jab, inside leg kick, use your footwork, have Topuria swinging at you and missing, or just barely grazing you, but getting out of the way and landing the better shots. He was starting to wear it on his face. His eye, his nose, busted him up.

“Then he tries to exchange with Topuria on the cage and gets knocked out. Enter Max Holloway: great footwork, high guard, long punches. He has a shorter reach than Volkanovski, but his footwork is what helps him so much in his fights, and he’s got great durability. So if he gets back to his kicking game and stays in his range – Topuria, I think, is 5’6,” maybe 5’7.” Max has a shorter reach for a guy at 145 pounds. I think it’s like 67, 68 (inches). Topuria’s got great grappling, but Max has great takedown defense.”

Holloway, who’s never been knocked out, is known for his durability. He has prevailed in numerous five-round wars, but Sterling wonders if Topuria could do the same if he’s dragged to deep waters.

“If Max could stay on his bike and touch him from the outside, it would be very interesting to see what happens in the later rounds,” Sterling said. “We haven’t seen Topuria exhausted or tired yet. In Round 5 with Josh Emmett, he was in the driver’s seat the whole time, but what happens if you could set a little fatigue in him?

“Him having some failed takedown attempts, or even if he gets the takedowns and Max can get back up, it makes the fight very interesting where he starts to use up a lot more energy than expected. He’s always in your face with those spinning back kicks. If Max gets back to the old-school Max, it’s a very intriguing fight.”

[lawrence-related id=2766788,2766502,2765170,2765216]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Aljamain Sterling: UFC champ Sean O’Malley took ‘Jake Paul route’ to title, given favorable matchups

Aljamain Sterling compares Sean O’Malley’s rise in popularity to Jake Paul’s.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] compares UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]’s rise in popularity to [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag]’s.

Sterling lost his bantamweight title to O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) by knockout at UFC 292. The title loss came less than four months after Sterling defeated Henry Cejudo in a five-round battle at UFC 288.

Sterling is not sold on O’Malley’s resume. He thinks the UFC helped facilitate his route to the top.

“I want to see the best of the best compete, no excuses,” Sterling said on the “Verse Us with Eric Nicksick” podcast. “Now, enter O’Malley. He fights one ranked guy and gets a title shot – split decision albeit. And this is not me hating. This is just calling a spade a spade. He was supposed to fight me next, which would give me enough time to prepare. But instead, they say Cejudo is coming back, we want you to fight him. In the back of their mind, they’re like whoever wins this, we’re going to turn them around for August.

“So, he knows all this. I’m pretty sure he knows all this. Only O’Malley could disclose this, right? Or at least the UFC knew that’s what they wanted to do for sure. Give him the best opportunity that they could to become a world champion by hindering and stacking the deck against his opponent. For me, as a competitor, I can never respect that as a man – as a man, as a competitor. It’s like the Jake Paul route. Stacking the deck so that you get these highlights or you get these favorable matchups and these wins to look as good as you do.”

Sterling especially took issue with O’Malley’s first title defense, which came against Marlon Vera – the lone fighter to beat him. O’Malley battered Vera for five rounds to notch his first title defense at UFC 299 in March.

“O’Malley could be a great champion, but for him to go on and fight the No. 6 ranked guy in ‘Chito’ and then put on a clinic – OK, great,” Sterling said. “But again, stacking the deck and favorable matchups for you to look and appear as you’re ‘him.’

“He should have fought Merab (Dvalishvili) first before fighting ‘Chito.’ …You get an easier title defense against a guy you’re clearly world’s better than. Stylistically, the guy’s not going to try and take you down. He can’t take you down because he has no wrestling ability, and he’s ranked (No.) 6. He didn’t even deserve to be in there.”

O’Malley will fight Sterling’s training partner Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) next. The pair headline UFC 306 Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas.

[lawrence-related id=2747383,2740690,2739293,2723898]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.