Aljamain Sterling was given just one hour to decide whether he wanted to fight Kevin Vallejos at UFC Qatar, leaving the former champion with little time to consult his team before accepting the matchup.
Sterling will face the surging featherweight prospect in the co-main event on November 21 at Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena in Al Rayyan, Qatar. The opportunity came after “Funk Master” had been pushing for a much bigger step toward another title shot.
Aljamain Sterling Reveals UFC Gave Him One Hour To Decide
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Sterling revealed that the UFC gave him just one hour to decide whether to accept the matchup.
I was told I had an hour to give an answer, and I had just gotten off the mats,” Sterling said. “I didn’t even get a chance to talk to my team. I guess the negotiations were already in the works, and the opportunity would have gone to someone else. These things move quickly. It was a situation where they had to make an announcement for the card, and it just happened that I was training at that time. Luckily, it worked out because I did want to fight one more time before this year was up.
The former UFC bantamweight champion ultimately accepted because he wanted to compete once more before the end of 2026, despite previously struggling to find a matchup that made sense for his championship ambitions.
“Funk Master” also revealed that the UFC had offered him another option in Aaron Pico at UFC 333. However, Sterling rejected that fight because he felt beating a fighter with a 1-1 UFC record would not do enough to move him toward another title opportunity.
I was offered the Pico fight, but what does that fight do for me?” Sterling said. “Vallejos makes way more sense.
Sterling pushed back against suggestions that he turned down Pico because of his wrestling ability, insisting that he considers himself among the best wrestlers in the UFC.
The 36-year-old instead sees Vallejos as a more meaningful test. The undefeated prospect is 4-0 in the UFC and has quickly established himself as one of the division’s rising contenders.
