Aljamain Sterling rubbishes "fraud check" speculations for UFC 304 fighters like Tom Aspinall and Paddy Pimblett
Aljamain Sterling has seemingly expressed his support for a few of the fighters set compete at UFC 304, including interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and rising lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett. 'Funk Master' opposed the narrative that the aforementioned fighters will be exposed come fight night.
Sterling lost his UFC bantamweight title via second-round TKO to Sean O'Malley in Aug. 2023. He then moved up to featherweight and defeated Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision in April 2024. He maintains a strong presence on social media, consistently weighing in on current affairs in the fight game and beyond.
On that note, an X user, @CasualMMAinc, put forth a tweet that featured images of Tom Aspinall, Paddy Pimblett and UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev. The statement in the tweet stated that we will witness "several fraud checks at UFC 304."
Aljamain Sterling responded to the tweet by suggesting that Aspinall, Pimblett and Mokaev are all good fighters who've already passed the "fraud check" test in their careers. He asserted that they're booked to fight elite opponents at UFC 304, further implying that they can't be deemed frauds unless they get completely dominated by their foes. The 34-year-old tweeted:
"These guys are all pretty good bro. Fraud check has already been shot down. These guys are all fighting high level guys next. Unless they get completely schooled, then I don't think the phrase applies here"
Tom Aspinall is scheduled to defend his interim UFC heavyweight title in a rematch against Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event at UFC 304 (July 27, 2024). It's believed that the winner could fight the winner between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic in a heavyweight title unification clash.
Elsewhere on the card, Paddy Pimblett is booked to face the No. 15-ranked UFC lightweight King Green (formerly known as Bobby Green). Additionally, the No. 6-ranked UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev will also feature on the card. The undefeated grappling savant is set to fight the No. 8-ranked Manel Kape.
The card will be headlined by a title bout at 170 pounds between defending welterweight champion Leon Edwards and longtime rival Belal Muhammad.
Aljamain Sterling trades barbs with high-ranking featherweight as potential fight looms on the horizon
Presently, Aljamain Sterling stands at the No. 8 position in the official UFC featherweight rankings. He has lately been embroiled in a feud against the unbeaten Movsar Evloev, a grappling savant who's ranked No. 5 in the featherweight division. In response to Evloev's claims that Sterling was evading a potential fight, the former UFC champion indicated that he'd be willing to fight him in September.
'Funk Master' maintained that he's open to fighting Evolev this September. Nevertheless, Evloev put forth a series of tweets, accusing the veteran American fighter of avoiding him. Their potential matchup hasn't been officially announced by the UFC.
Check out the screenshots of some of the tweets exchanged below:
