Aljamain Sterling reacts to Muhammad Mokaev “shooting himself in the foot” amid UFC contract saga
Aljamain Sterling is no stranger to having disputes with the UFC brass. The former champion was previously criticized by UFC CEO Dana White for not wanting to fight teammate and close friend, Merab Dvalishvili.
'Funk Master' shared criticism of his own about having his hand forced by promotional executives to accept a title fight with Sean O'Malley shortly after defeating Henry Cejudo at UFC 288.
Given his past experiences, the now-featherweight contender recently shared his thoughts on Muhammad Mokaev's current situation with the UFC. Mokaev is one of the most talented prospects at flyweight in the UFC, and at just 23 years old he holds a record of 13-0-1.
But after beating Manel Kape at UFC 304 on 27 July, it was confirmed that 'The Punisher' would not be re-signed by the promotion, having completed his current contract.
The news came as a surprise, but rumors that the budding contender was difficult to work with began emerging. Also, the brawl he was involved in with Kape at the fighter hotel ahead of UFC 304 was an obvious contributing factor.
'Funk Master' took to X to share his thoughts on the situation, and wrote this:
"Here's some fighter perspective: No other promotion is paying him what he's making in the UFC right now. Not many high-level promotions have the 125-pound division. He shot himself in the foot with his actions and is trying to find a way to make it right at the expense of pride."
See Aljamain Sterling's post below:
Aljamain Sterling shares his path to title glory at featherweight
Aljamain Sterling announced his move from bantamweight to featherweight after losing the 135-pound title to Sean O'Malley at UFC 292.
'Funk Master' was transparent about the grueling weight cuts needed to make the bantamweight limit, and welcomed the additional 10 pounds afforded by his new weight class. He made his divisional debut against Calvin Kattar at UFC 300, whom he defeated via decision.
He will now face undefeated Movsar Evloev at UFC 307 and believes a win over the No.5 ranked featherweight will grant Sterling a title shot. During a recent interview, he said:
"I go out there and I finish Movsar Evloev in the first round, I'm getting a guaranteed title shot. I can't see any other way around it. I 100% believe that. The guy's undefeated, he's ranked fifth right now, I believe he's 6 or 7-0 in the UFC."
Watch Aljamain Sterling's interview below (16:58):