Aljamain Sterling responds to Movsar Evloev's allegations of ducking, Diego Lopes chimes in
The UFC featherweight title picture remains murky, with contenders jockeying for position behind newly crowned champion Ilia Topuria. At the center of this ongoing saga is Movsar Evloev, who recently called out both Aljamain Sterling and Diego Lopes.
Evloev, ranked fifth in the featherweight division, appeared to express interest in a fight with former bantamweight champion Sterling. However, he recently took a different approach, calling out Diego Lopes on social media and accusing Sterling of "running for his life."
He wrote:
"Hey @Diegolopesmma, I wanna give you a rematch at the Sphere because @funkmasterMMA is running for his life, and this time I’m gonna finish you."
Check out Movsar Evloev's call-out below:
Sterling refuted Evloev's claims and called him a "lying charlatan."
"Either you’re a lying charlatan or you can’t read. Neither one is good mi bredda"
Check out Aljamain Sterling's response below:
The Russian once again responded, writing:
"Give me date right here and I will show up and smash your face"
Meanwhile, Lopes, whom Evloev has called out for a rematch, also weighed in on the situation. Evloev had previously ignored Lopes' request for a rematch following the Brazilian's first-round victory over Sodiq Yusuff at UFC 300. After Lopes' win at UFC 303, Evloev has circled back.
However, Lopes isn't interested in a rerun. He responded to Evloev's callout with a jab, suggesting Evloev only mentions him to gain recognition:
"Have you finally realized that the way the UFC pays attention to you is by mentioning my name? Or are you afraid that tomorrow morning I'll be in your place in the rankings? It took you 3 months to get back to me. Sit back and watch the big guys do the work."
Check out Diego Lopes' response below:
Aljamain Sterling shares his prediction for a potential rematch with Sean O'Malley
Despite a knockout loss to Sean O'Malley that dethroned him from the UFC bantamweight title, Aljamain Sterling is confident about his chances in a potential rematch.
Sterling reign as the bantamweight champ came to an abrupt halt last August when O'Malley put him away in the second round. This marked Sterling's first loss in nearly six years.
Appearing on the 'Overdogs' podcast, Sterling discussed the possibility of a rematch:
''O'Malley showed up that night, it was an off-night for myself and the better man won that night. But I do know if I had a rematch and as long as he waited from August to fighting Chito in March, you give me that time to recover, prepare and to cut my weight the proper way. In a rematch, I would bet my life savings on that."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below: