Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is determined to reclaim gold as he prepares for his next fight.
Sterling recently suffered a setback at UFC 310, where he fell to Movsar Evloev in a closely contested bout, temporarily halting his pursuit of two-division success.
Sterling’s journey took a positive turn earlier in 2024 when he defeated Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 in April, a victory that revived his momentum after losing the bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in 2023.
Now, the former champion is eyeing a return to the Octagon in April and has named Arnold Allen or Brian Ortega as potential opponents.
“A lot of fans don’t think I lost that fight,” Sterling told MMA Junkie, referring to his loss against Evloev. “I watched it back a couple times now, and I still don’t think I lost the fight. Obviously, the judges are the judge, so whatever they say is going to stay in the history books. I would love to run it back with him. If not, maybe fight Arnold Allen [or] Brian Ortega.”
Sterling also shared his thoughts on the path to another title shot.
“I’d say [I’m] maybe one or two fights away,” he explained. “It just really depends on the landscape, how I look in the fight, [and] what Topuria’s going to do. If he’s going to vacate, then that puts two new challengers to fight for a vacated belt. So, it really depends.”
Looking ahead, Sterling hopes to fight in April, potentially followed by another bout in August or September.
“I don’t really know what’s going to happen in the future, but I’m patiently waiting. Hopefully, I can make my return in April.”
