Aljamain
Sterling is latest featherweight to rally for a slot at
UFC
306 in September at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Sterling scored a unanimous decision win over Calvin
Kattar in his featherweight debut at UFC
300 this past April. The former bantamweight champ has since
been teasing a potential clash against Movsar
Evloev. While both parties initially expressed interest in the
matchup, that seems to have fizzled out now.
While Evloev has accused Sterling of ducking him, “Funkmaster”
claims the undefeated Russian is unwilling to accept his terms.
Sterling has now redirected focus to streaking Brazilian Diego
Lopesfor a clash at UFC 306 on Sept. 14.
“I’m thinking about Aljamain Sterling vs. Diego Lopes at the
Sphere. It has a nice ring to it,” Sterling said on his YouTube
channel. “Movsar [Evloev], I don’t know what the hell he’s doing. I
gave him a date and he hasn’t accepted yet, started making all
these excuses. So, either you wanna fight on my terms or I go fight
somebody else. So, Diego Lopes if you oblige, let’s make it happen
at the Sphere, Sept. 14. Let’s get it.”
Meanwhile, Evloev has also called for a rematch against Lopes while
accusing Sterling of “running for his life.”
“Either you’re a lying charlatan or you can’t read. Neither one is
good mi bredda,” Sterling wrote in response on X.
Either you’re a lying charlatan or you can’t
read. Neither one is good mi bredda https://t.co/eT8g0gdgKn— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA)
July 2, 2024
Lopes, who dropped a valiant unanimous decision against Evloev in
his short-notice UFC debut last year, doesn’t appear interested in
the rematch. Having previously been turned down for a rematch by
Evloev, Lopes claims the Russian is only using his name for clout
now.
Have you finally realized that the way the
UFC pays attention to you is by mentioning my name? Or are you
afraid that tomorrow morning I’ll be in your place in the rankings?
It took you 3 months to get back to me. Sit back and watch the big
guys do the work. https://t.co/WeeRx2nNVz— Diego Lopes 🇧🇷🇲🇽 (@Diegolopesmma)
July 2, 2024
Lopes scored a unanimous decision win over Dan Ige at UFC
303 on June 29, accepting the new opponent and weight class on
hours’ notice after Brian
Ortega pulled out of the event. Both Lopes and Ige subsequently
called for a slot at UFC 306 which Dana White readily accepted.
Lopes has since called for a rebooking against Ortega or a matchup
against Alexander
Volkanovski at UFC 306.