Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling didn’t get the result he wanted in his latest fight, but he’s already looking ahead.
Sterling fell to Movsar Evloev at UFC 310, marking a setback in his pursuit of two-division glory.
His recent journey had taken a positive turn at UFC 300 in April, where he secured an impressive victory over Calvin Kattar. That win temporarily revived Sterling’s momentum after losing his bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in 2023.
Now, having dismissed brief thoughts of retirement, the former champion has his sights set on a comeback in March and is targeting either Arnold Allen or Brian Ortega as potential opponents.
“I would like to make a March return,” Sterling told Home of Fight. “If I do get a fight for March, April at the latest, I’d like to fight Arnold Allen or Brian Ortega. I don’t think that loss to Movsar should push me down the rankings. I almost feel like it should be treated as a ‘W.’
“It’s weird to say it like that because it might come off as funny to people to hear me say that, but honestly, that’s just how I feel. I feel that I shouldn’t have to fight down the rankings after being 1-1 and losing to a guy that people are saying is going to be the next champion, in a fight that a lot of people still think I won.”
