Undefeated fighter responds after being called out by Aljamain Sterling for "weird flex": "No more excuses, I'm not going anywhere"
Aljamain Sterling's unwillingness to face Movsar Evloev before September has irked the undefeated Russian, who took to X to express his intention to chase the former bantamweight champion until he secures a matchup. Both men are gunning for the UFC featherweight title, but need more proving.
However, Sterling's previous callout of Evloev has raised the unbeaten 145-pounder's eyebrow, as he was under the impression that 'Funk Master' was planning on facing him sooner rather than later. Sterling, though, maintains that Evloev was well aware of her conditions for a fight in a reply to a fan.
"Yes, but me calling out doesn't mean I'm ready to fight tmw. It means I'm looking for an opponent and a date. I gave my timeline of September. He knew that weeks ago. So he's now being disingenuous to sound tough and cool. Lol weird flex from him."
While Sterling believes Evloev is deliberately misrepresenting the former's callout, the unbeaten Russian has opined that a September date for their bout amounts to nothing more than an excuse. Nevertheless, Evloev warned the former bantamweight titleholder to be ready.
"I will see you in September! No more excuses, I'm not going anywhere"
The pair's matchup will almost certainly be a title eliminator that will crown the division's number one contender. Evloev has history with reigning UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, who he was previously scheduled to face prior to the latter's championship ascension.
Unfortunately, the Russian was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury. So, if Topuria is still champion by the time Evloev faces and beat Sterling, a matchup is sensible.
Meanwhile, Sterling's status as a former champion, as well as his UFC 300 win over Calvin Katter, make him a strong candidate for title contention.
Aljamain Sterling and Movsar Evloev conversed on Instagram about their fight
Aljamain Sterling has not taken kindly to Movsar Evloev's implication that he is avoiding him. He branded the Russian featherweight a liar, before sharing a screen recording of a conversation between the pair in his Instagram DMs.
"If there's one thing I hate, it's lying story tellers. I can't allow this fake bravado to go on. I can't WAIT to take that "0"!"
Check out Aljamain Sterling's screen recording:
The conversation revealed in the screen recording does indeed show Sterling suggesting a September date for their fight. However, it also shows Evloev expressing confusion over an apparent August date.