Aljamain Sterling eyes Movsar Evloev rematch amid talks of Ilia Topuria vacating featherweight crown
Aljamain Sterling suffered his first loss at featherweight when he faced Movsar Evloev at UFC 310 on Dec. 7. But with the 145-pound champion, Ilia Topuria, having hinted at vacating the title, Sterling has called for a rematch with Evloev.
'Funk Master' believes a second bout between himself and the undefeated Russian contender would be worthy of a vacant title. But former champion Alexander Volkanovski may have something to say about Sterling's ambitions, with 'The Great' expected to face Topuria in 2025.
Following news of 'El Matador' potentially moving to lightweight, the former bantamweight champion took to X and wrote this:
"Based on the landscape of the division, it should be a rematch between me and Movsar for the belt."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's post below:
Volkanovski and Topuria shared a face-off in the octagon following the Spaniard's knockout win over Max Holloway at UFC 308. Should 'El Matador' move to lightweight, 'The Great' will likely feature in a vacant featherweight title bout.
However, Topuria took to X following the comments about his move to 155 pounds and stated that at this moment in time, nothing had been confirmed for his fighting future.
Aljamain Sterling shares statement following UFC 310 loss to Movsar Evloev
Aljamain Sterling was hoping to hand Movsar Evloev the first defeat of his career when the pair clashed at UFC 310. Given both fighters' elite wrestling backgrounds, fans were treated to some incredible scrambles and grappling sequences over their three-round clash.
Evloev was awarded a unanimous decision victory, but the fight was immensely close for all 15 minutes, and 'Funk Master' narrowly missed out on what would have been a statement-making win.
Having made a triumphant return to featherweight for the first time since 2011, when he faced Calvin Kattar at UFC 300, Sterling took to X following his first loss at 145-pounds to say this:
"Tough fight… I thought I might’ve edged it out against a tough opponent, but we came up short. Thank you all for the love and support and I hope the performance was a fun one for you all to watch. Movsar is a beast, I showed where I belong in this division. For now, we decompress and heal up, then get ready to climb the ladder again. The dream doesn’t stop unless you give up! I’ll be back."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's post below: