Aljamain Sterling hints at timeline for octagon return following UFC 310 setback against Movsar Evloev
Aljamain Sterling is one of the most prominent fighters in the UFC. After suffering a loss against Movsar Evloev at UFC 310, he has now hinted at a return to the octagon on social media.
The former UFC bantamweight champion lost his title to Sean O'Malley at UFC 292 and moved up to the featherweight division. He defeated Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 in a featherweight showdown and was booked to lock horns with Evloev at UFC 310.
The duo squared off against each other on the preliminary card of the last UFC pay-per-view event of 2024, where Sterling came up short and ended up losing via a unanimous decision. 'Funk Master' took to his X account and hinted at a potential comeback to the octagon, saying:
"In April, I will be ready to go again!"
Aljamain Sterling heaps praise on Merab Dvalishvili, predicts him to break his record in the bantamweight division
Aljamain Sterling is known to share a close bond with the reigning bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. He showered praise on Dvalishvili for his recent performances and predicted him to continue his dominance in the division for a long time.
In an interview with MMA Junkie, the former UFC bantamweight champion offered his thoughts on his teammate's title run and said:
"I said, ‘Brother, I’m telling you right now, you just got your first defense against who they say is supposed to be the toughest guy, and look what you did, look how you made him look.’ I thought it was 4-1 easily."
Sterling added:
"With that said, who’s his next toughest challenger? He 50-45’d Petr Yan, who’s a tough dude. Obviously, he’s looked incredible in his last few fights, but I just think the gas tank is such a weapon. I told him, ‘If you want to be the champ for a while, you will break my record. It’s up to you. The only person who can beat you, it’s yourself.’ I truly do believe that."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's views on Merab Dvalishvili's title reign below (3:28):
Sterling holds the most title defenses in the bantamweight division as of now. He defended the title three times after winning it at UFC 259 against Petr Yan. On the other hand, Dvalishvili made his first successful title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 by handing him his first career loss.