UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling says he’s considering moving up to 145 pounds after his fight against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 and a possible future match against Sean O’Malley, as weight cutting becomes more difficult with age and his friend Merab Dvalishvili nears title contention in the bantamweight division.
Aljamain Sterling is well aware that his time as a bantamweight is coming to an end. As he gets ready to defend his title against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288, Sterling has openly stated that he will eventually move up to 145 pounds. This transition may happen sooner rather than later, given that his close friend Merab Dvalishvili is nearing title contention and the general difficulty associated with constant weight cuts to 135 pounds. Sterling acknowledges that he only has so many fights left at bantamweight.
The New York native believes that his fight against Cejudo and a future showdown against No. 1 contender Sean O’Malley will likely mark the end of his time in the division. “Very likely that’s the path, but I’m just going to see how this fight goes, how the weight cut goes,” Sterling told The Fighter vs. The Writer. Depending on the outcome and the difficulty, Sterling might decide to make this his last fight at bantamweight.
Making 135 pounds is not easy for Sterling, who’s never missed a weight but admits that the cut taxes his body as he gets older. The 33-year-old veteran understands that he can’t continue to punish his body when there’s a long list of potential fights awaiting him at featherweight. He also considers Dvalishvili’s title contention as another major factor in his decision to change divisions, as the two are close friends and have both stated they will not face each other in the ring. With Dvalishvili on a nine-fight win streak, including a dominant victory over former UFC champion Petr Yan, it seems that a move to featherweight might be inevitable for Sterling.