Aljamain Sterling wants a piece of Jimmie Rivera.
Sterling is the seventh ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight, while Rivera holds the third spot. The “Funk Master” is coming off a unanimous decision win over former 135-pound champion Renan Barao. Meanwhile, Rivera defeated Thomas Almedia in an exciting tilt.
With T.J. Dillashaw likely next in line for a title shot and Dominick Cruz waiting for his turn, that leaves Rivera on the outside looking in. During a recent appearance on the UFC Unfiltered podcast, Sterling explained why a bout with “El Terror” makes sense (via MMA Weekly):
“I want Jimmie Rivera. I think that’s the proper fight. He’s talked a lot of (expletive) to me coming up on the regional scene, talking about my striking and that I’m not very good, overrated. He started with striking. I started with wrestling. I had to learn. Now that I”m here, I”m like, let’s go. Let’s see who can back up the talk now.”
