Top UFC featherweights Movsar Evloev and Aljamain Sterling will look to stake their claim for a first title shot in the division when they share the cage later this year.
The undefeated Russian and the former UFC bantamweight champion have been going back and forth on social media about doing battle ever since the latter successfully debuted in the weight class this past April.
A victory over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 saw Sterling enter the rankings at #8, and "Funk Master" will now have the chance to crack the featherweight top five at the expense of Evloev.
As first reported by MMA Propagande and subsequently confirmed by both men on social media, Evloev and Sterling are slated to collide on the UFC 307 pay-per-view card on October 5.
A location and venue is yet to be officially announced by the promotion, but the expectation is for UFC 307 to take place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Evloev, Sterling To Vie For Shot At Topuria's Gold At UFC 307
When they finally meet in the Octagon after months of online discussion regarding a date and ducking allegations, both Evloev and Sterling will hope to continue their winning form all the way to the top.
Evloev (18-0) further climbed the 145-pound pecking order this year by narrowly getting the better of Arnold Allen on the scorecards at UFC 297 in Canada this past January. The result marked the former M-1 Global bantamweight champ's eighth straight victory on MMA's biggest stage, following triumphs over Dan Ige and Diego Lopes.
The Russian, however, has come under fire for his tendency to go the distance inside the Octagon, having yet to find a finish in the UFC since his debut back in 2019. He'll look to rectify that unwanted statistic at the expense of the division's newest contender.
Sterling (24-4) brought his time making a difficult weight cut down to 135 pounds to an end following his title loss to Sean O'Malley at UFC 292 in Boston last August. With his calls for an immediate rematch falling on deaf ears, "Funk Master" committed to the pursuit of gold in a second weight class, which he began successfully by outgrappling Kattar at April's milestone PPV.
The 34-year-old must now get past Evloev if he's to put himself in position for a future shot at Topuria's featherweight title.
