Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Aljamain Sterling wants a chance to fight for the interim UFC bantamweight title.
Aljamain Sterling sees only one option for his next UFC fight, an interim bantamweight title shot against a fellow top 135-pound contender. Petr Yan.
Sterling (18-3) is currently on a four-fight winning streak at bantamweight, picking up wins against the likes of Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera. Sterling spoke to MMA Fighting about securing an interim title shot, as the division’s champion Henry Cejudo will probably drop to flyweight to defend his other title for his next fight.
“I don’t mind it. I plan on fighting for the interim title next and if he takes a little bit longer than we expect, then I’ll defend the belt and kind of go about it like that,” Sterling said. “At the end of the day, Cejudo’s a tough competitor but I think he’s a flyweight.
“If Cejudo is going to go back down to 125 [pounds] against Joey Two-Times (Joseph Benavidez) then I’ll be more than happy to give Petr Yan his chance to dance,” Sterling said. “He’s been doing a lot of talking. I think that slowed down when I put him in his place a little bit but that is the fight that would make the most sense.”
With his last fight taking place in June, Sterling has not yet been offered anything for his next fight in the UFC. Meanwhile, Yan (13-1) is undefeated since making his UFC debut in June of last year. going 5-0 at 135 pounds so far.
“I would assume so. I can’t see who else it would be,” Sterling said. “Urijah Faber? He beat a guy ranked 15th by default. He was only ranked No. 15 because John Lineker got cut. Other than that, who has he beaten in the top five or top 10? I can’t really see how that fight would make a lot of sense.”