Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is determined to reclaim gold as he prepares for his next fight.
Sterling recently suffered a setback at UFC 310, where he fell to Movsar Evloev in a closely contested bout, temporarily halting his pursuit of two-division success.
Sterling’s journey took a positive turn earlier in 2024 when he defeated Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 in April, a victory that revived his momentum after losing the bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in 2023.
Now, the former champion is eyeing a return to the Octagon in April and has named Arnold Allen or Brian Ortega as potential opponents.
A lot of fans don’t think I lost that fight,” Sterling told MMA Junkie, referring to his loss against Evloev. “I watched it back a couple times now, and I still don’t think I lost the fight. Obviously, the judges are the judge, so whatever they say is going to stay in the history books. I would love to run it back with him. If not, maybe fight Arnold Allen [or] Brian Ortega.
Sterling also shared his thoughts on the path to another title shot.
I’d say [I’m] maybe one or two fights away,” he explained. “It just really depends on the landscape, how I look in the fight, [and] what Topuria’s going to do. If he’s going to vacate, then that puts two new challengers to fight for a vacated belt. So, it really depends.
Looking ahead, Sterling hopes to fight in April, potentially followed by another bout in August or September.
I don’t really know what’s going to happen in the future, but I’m patiently waiting. Hopefully, I can make my return in April.