Aljamain Sterling eyes a title shot against Ilia Topuria with a victory over Movsar Evloev at UFC 310: "That 0 has to go"
Aljamain Sterling made the move to the featherweight division earlier this year, defeating Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision at UFC 300. He will look to work his way closer to a title shot when he faces the undefeated Movsar Evloev at UFC 310 next month. 'Funk Master' recently revealed that he is hoping that a win in his upcoming bout will be enough to earn a title shot against Ilia Topuria.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on his self-titled show, the former bantamweight champion stated:
"He's going to have to hold this L, man. That 0 has got to go... I think a win over Movsar gets me in the title shot conversation... I think it's new blood. It's exciting. There's a storyline of, obviously, Merab is the champ so it's like, 'Who is Merab going to back?' People are already asking these questions. I'm like, 'Guys, please stop with the drama.'"
Sterling continued:
"I don't even want to think about that right now. I have to win this fight to even get into that conversation so I got a tough task in front of me in less than four weeks and I'm just excited to shut this guy up once and for all."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments on facing Movsar Evloev and earning a title shot below:
The featherweight title picture appears crowded at the moment as Alexander Volkanovski is seemingly next in line to challenge Topuria. A statement win over Evloev, combined with his status as a former bantamweight champion, could be enough for Sterling to face the winner of that bout.
Aljamain Sterling shares firsthand account of Jon Jones' greatness
Aljamain Sterling has a long history with Jon Jones as the two trained at Team Bombsquad. 'Funk Master' shared a story that spoke to the greatness of the heavyweight champion during his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, stating:
"I've seen this firsthand. He offered me a couple shots at the bar and I was like I'm fighting in - I think I told him four or five weeks. And he was fighting in like two weeks... I was like, 'Am I doing something wrong?' Something's not mathing, the math ain't mathing right now. But then I watch him on TV and he's going out there and he obliterates the competition and I think there's something to be said about that."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments on Jon Jones below:
Sterling added that Jones is physically gifted, does his homework, and is meticulous in his preparation. He noted that 'Bones' knows his opponents better than they know themselves, making him difficult to stop.