Aljamain Sterling, previously a headlining UFC champion, finds himself on the prelims for his upcoming fight against undefeated Movsar Evloev at UFC 310, despite believing he deserves a main card spot and aiming to prove his worth in pursuit of becoming a two-division champion.
Aljamain Sterling, once a headliner, now finds himself off the main card. Just two fights ago, he was the main attraction. Now, he’s set to face undefeated featherweight contender Movsar Evloev on the prelims at UFC 310 in Las Vegas this Saturday. Quite the shift from 15 months ago when Sterling defended his bantamweight title against Sean O’Malley at UFC 292. O’Malley took the belt that night.
Afterward, Sterling moved up to 145 pounds and made a successful divisional debut by defeating Calvin Kattar at UFC 300. Now, he has a chance to re-enter the title conversation if he can hand Evloev his first loss. Despite the high stakes, Sterling’s fight isn’t on the main card, which puzzles him.
“I didn’t know if I should have been insulted by the placement on the fight card or glass half full,” Sterling shared on YouTube. “I get to fight earlier, I get to be done earlier, I get to pop open a fresh bottle of Funk Harbor, hang out with friends and celebrate a big win.”
Confused but not defeated, Sterling continued, “I guess they have their rhyme or reason for what they do, the UFC brass.” He knows it’s not his organization and doesn’t make the calls. “I just go out there and compete,” he said. Sterling is determined to prove he’s a main card fighter and believes fans will be surprised by his performance.
This isn’t new for Sterling. Despite winning 10 of his first 13 UFC fights, he was rarely on main cards before becoming bantamweight champion in 2021. He headlined events like UFC 288 against Henry Cejudo and UFC 292 against O’Malley.
The loss to O’Malley still lingers for Sterling. He felt unprepared for that fight and later claimed the UFC “coerced” him into accepting it so soon after fighting Cejudo.
Sterling hasn’t fought since April and appreciates the break. The Evloev matchup was supposed to happen at UFC 307 in October but got postponed due to an elbow injury Sterling needed time to heal.
“It’s a little bit of a longer extended camp,” he explained, “but I think it just makes me more hungry to get out there.” He requested an extra month because Movsar wanted him back sooner than he was ready. “I learned my lesson from my last fight,” referring to his loss to O’Malley.
Sterling insists he’ll never let anyone push him over money again. “I’ve accomplished what I need to accomplish,” he stated. Competing now happens on his terms—when he’s mentally ready because uncertainty in the octagon is dangerous.
Evloev is no easy task with an 18-0 record and eight UFC wins. His recent victories came against ranked fighters like Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes, and Dan Ige.
Sterling sees Evloev as another step toward becoming a two-division champion. “I’m no stranger to fighting undefeated fighters,” he said confidently. He’s turned them back before and plans to do it again.
Many believe Evloev will be his downfall, but Sterling uses that as motivation. “Absolutely smash this guy,” he declared. “Show that there are levels to this.”
Having been a champion before, Sterling’s in a new headspace and weight class now. His energy levels are better than ever. “We’re going to make this a fight,” he promised—a real dogfight indeed!