Aljamain Sterling and Augusto Mendes will be sharing the Octagon next month.
Sources have informed MMAFighting.com of the match-up set for UFC on FOX 24 inside the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri on April 15. The event is going to be headlined by a flyweight title bout between champion Demetrious Johnson and Wilson Reis. “Mighty Mouse” will tie Anderson Silva’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title defense record if he defeats Reis.
“The Funk Master” has lost two straight bouts after going 12-0 in his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career. Sterling put up a fight in both losses against Bryan Caraway and Raphael Assuncao. He fell short by split decision in both outings. He’ll look to get back in the win column.
As for Mendes, this will be his highest ranked opponent to date. Sterling sits at No. 8 on the UFC’s bantamweight rankings. A win for Mendes would certainly see him make his debut on the official 135-pound rankings. After being finished by current bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt in his UFC debut, Mendes nabbed a split decision win over Frankie Saenz back in Jan. 2016.
UFC on FOX 24 will also feature a strawweight tilt with potential title implications. Michelle Waterson will battle Rose Namajunas.
