Aljamain Sterling confesses one UFC decision "confused" him, adamant to show the promotion "messed up"
Aljamain Sterling, the former UFC bantamweight champion, expressed surprise at being relegated to the prelims for his high-stakes fight against undefeated Movsar Evloev at UFC 310, which will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Sterling admitted on his YouTube channel that he was "confused" by the UFC's decision but reframed the situation positively:
“I didn’t know if I should have been insulted by the placement on the fight card or glass half-full...I guess that’s the best way I try to look at everything in life. I get to fight earlier and get to be done earlier. I get to pop open a fresh bottle of Funk Harbor, hang out with the friends and celebrate a big win. I was a little confused by it, of course."
Despite his optimism, Sterling made it clear that he intends to demonstrate why the matchup deserved a higher spot, asserting:
"I just go out there and compete, and it’s up to me to go out there and prove these guys wrong that hey, I am a main card fighter. I think people are going to be in for a very big surprise, and the UFC is going to realize, ‘We messed up big time by not putting this on the main card.'"
The pay-per-view card instead features Bryce Mitchell’s featherweight clash with returning veteran Kron Gracie, which has been prioritized over Sterling’s fight.
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below (4:37):
Aljamain Sterling reveals one final goal to accomplish before retiring
Aljamain Sterling recently revealed his plans for the final chapter of his MMA career, with one goal remaining: to win the UFC featherweight title. The 35-year-old, who dominated the bantamweight division with a record-breaking reign, wants to become a two-division champ.
Sterling, who successfully defended the bantamweight title three times against former champions Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo, stated in the aforementioned video that he is determined to retire as a champion once more:
"I guess to end my career the way I would like to end it would be as a UFC champion again. Two-division champion and I'll be on the short list of people to win belts in two different weight classes. New challenges, new faces, more people doubting you, more people to prove wrong and to prove myself right once again." [0:31 onwards in the aforementioned video]
Check out Aljamain Sterling's training session below: