Former UFC bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, is staying put after moving up to 145 pounds, even with his loss to Movsar Evloev at the UFC 310 pay-per-view (PPV) last December in Las Vegas — his first in the featherweight division.
That’s because “Funk Master” is “still chasing that gold” and wants to pad his UFC legacy after a memorable run in the 135-pound weight class. The means to that end includes potential fights against Brian Ortega and Arnold Allen.
“I want to fight up,” Sterling told MMA Junkie. “I don’t really want to fight down, but if I have to, to prove my worth again, then it is what it is. I’m still chasing that gold. If I could get a second gold belt, man, that’s another legacy thing that people can’t take away from me. So, I’m chasing history at this point. Of course, the paychecks are good, but I’m not fighting just to be in there to say I’m fighting. I’m in there to beat the best guys. I’m in there to say I fought the best guys, and that’s what it’s about for the rest of my career.”
The 35 year-old Sterling (24-5) is currently ranked No. 9 at 145 pounds, against No. 7 for Allen and No. 6 for Ortega. That said, “T-City” seems intent on moving up a division after struggling to maintain his place among the featherweight elite.
“Funk Master” is looking to make his Octagon return in April and Allen (20-3) — who is currently unbooked — seems to be a reasonable option. The “Almighty” featherweight was also defeated by Evloev when they went to war at UFC 297 in early 2024.