After his win over Youssef Zalal at UFC Vegas 116, Aljamain Sterling did not hold back his emotions. In the main event, he earned a dominant unanimous decision victory. This victory could lead to a featherweight title shot for Sterling. He has made a strong case for the title shot with his performances since moving up to 145 pounds.
He wants to become one of the players who have won two division UFC championships. Sterling is a former bantamweight champion.
Since moving to the featherweight division, he has lost only one fight. It came against Movsar Evloev via a unanimous decision. The MMA community was divided on that loss; some believed that he should have been given the decision.
He also admitted that Evloev deserves a shot at the title, especially after his win against Lerone Murphy. But, he also admitted that he would accept if UFC offered him a shot at the title against Alexander Volkanovski.
Here is what Sterling said in the post-match press conference at UFC Vegas 116. “You guys all watched Movsar [Evloev] vs. Lerone Murphy, and I’m just saying I let the fans decide. I let the UFC brass decide. I do think Movsar deserves it.”
“If [the UFC matchmakers] do offer me the opportunity, I’m not going to say no. I’m not going to say, ‘This guy deserves it [more].”
He further added, “If they offer [the featherweight title shot] to me, then hell yeah, I’m taking it. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got until the wheels fall off. I think it’s a fight that everybody would love to see. Two OGs of the sport. Why not? It just makes a whole lot of sense.”
He also made it clear that he respects Movsar Evloev, and it is not a campaign to steal the title opportunity from him. Currently, Evloev is the number one in the UFC featherweight rankings.
“I just don’t want to feel like I’m talking [expletive] to Movsar because I’m not, I respect the guy. People might say whatever. I just truly feel like I won that fight [against him]. If not, it’s a draw, at worst. At the end of the day, the UFC makes the decisions. I’m just here to do my part.”
Sterling on his win over Youssef Zalal
Apart from the champion contention, he also shared his thoughts on his dominant win over Youssef Zalal at UFC Vegas 116. Going into the fight, he had a lot to prove, given the current situation of the featherweight division.
He said he got everything that he set out to achieve. Sterling also mentioned that his opponent, Zalal, was pretty tough.
Here is what sterling said, “I really thought I could get [Zalal] out of there but again, he’s just a really tough dude. I know some people are still going to be critical. You can’t please everybody. I thought that was as close to a flawless performance as I can get.”
With this performance, Sterling is now also in the race for featherweight championship. The matchmakers of UFC now have a decision to make in the coming weeks. Evloev is the current No. 1 ranked featherweight. But, sterling is also in the picture for this.
