Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling halted the eight-fight winning streak of Youssef Zalal, but is highly aware that a one-sided unanimous decision win may not be enough to leapfrog him into a title shot with current champion Alexander Volkanovski (28-4 MMA).
At least not yet.
Sterling met the media following UFC Vegas 116, where he opened up about how the UFC should view the victory and what his next steps should be.
“I let the UFC brass decide,” Sterling told reporters. “I do think Movsar [Evloev] deserves it. But if they do offer me the opportunity, I’m not going to say no. I’m not going to say, ‘This guy deserves it [instead].’ If they offer it to me, then hell yeah, I’m taking it. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got until the wheels fall off.”
Sterling (26-5 MMA) nearly finished Zalal (18-6-1 MMA) at the end of Round 4, as top control in the back mount position and a near-rear-naked choke made the difference, along with Sterling’s effortless wrestling ability throughout the 25-minute fight.
Aljamain Sterling Open To UFC’s “Decisions”
As for what’s next, Sterling kept it brief.
“At the end of the day, the UFC makes the decisions,” Sterling said. “I’m just here to do my part, collect some checks, drink some rum, smoke some fine cigars after the fine work is done. I’m just enjoying life, living the dream. I’m living the American dream, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Sterling also had a message for those who were bored while watching the fight.
“You can’t please everybody,” Sterling said. “At the end of the day, I thought that was as close to a flawless performance as I can get. I probably got a 10-8 round somewhere in there. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We worked hard for that. Just a big shoutout to my team
Sterling, too, said a rematch with Evloev is needed at some point. The pair met in Dec. 2024, with Evloev (20-0 MMA) winning a unanimous decision.
Evloev vs. Sterling 2 As Possible Title Eliminator?
“I just don’t want to feel like I’m talking s*** to Movsar because I’m not,” Sterling said. “I respect the guy. People might say whatever. I just do truly feel like I won that fight. If not, it’s a draw, at worst.”
Sterling now has back-to-back wins at featherweight, securing his first winning streak since winning nine in a row at bantamweight (including his title defenses) between April 2018 and May 2023.
If anything, Sterling still remains in the mix at featherweight.
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