Aljamain Sterling doesn't foresee himself finishing Calvin Kattar in first round at UFC 300, predicts how fight will end
Aljamain Sterling recently expressed his thoughts on his fight against Calvin Kattar at UFC 300. The highly anticipated event is set to take place on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The former UFC bantamweight champion has big expectations for his UFC 300 featherweight debut. After a successful bantamweight career, he is set to make his 145-pound debut in the octagon against Kattar.
Sterling lost his 135-pound title to Sean O'Malley in the main event of UFC 292 in August last year via TKO in the second round. Before the match, the 'Funk Master' stated that it could be his final fight in the bantamweight division as he plans to move to the 145-pound weight class due to weight-cutting issues.
The 34-year-old had previously expressed a desire to enter the octagon against Kattar for his debut featherweight match, which is finally coming true.
In a recent video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Sterling shared his opinion on Kattar, saying:
''Calvin Kattar is a tough dude. I don't really foresee myself finishing him in the first round unless I can get to his back really early.''
Predicting the fight, Sterling said:
''I'm gonna say second round submission. I think I get him out there with a submission, and possibly an anaconda choke. I just wanna get on his neck any way that I can.''
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below:
Sterling had previously expressed his desire to emulate former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway's performance against Kattar. He referenced Holloway's performance in 2021, when 'Blessed' shattered his record by landing 445 significant strikes on Kattar throughout five rounds.
In his last octagon outing, Kattar lost to Arnold Allen via second-round knockout at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen in 2022.
Alexander Volkanovski previews Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar fight
Aljamain Sterling will return to the octagon at UFC 300, facing Calvin Kattar in a featherweight bout. In the past, the former bantamweight champion stated he would like to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight championship.
But that is no longer the case, as Volkanovski lost his featherweight title to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. In a recent video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Volkanovski shared his thoughts on the Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar fight, saying:
''Aljamain's wrestling, grappling's no joke, even at featherweight. I think he's going to be a problem. Calvin Kattar's takedown defense is good and his boxing's very nice.''
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (12:44):