Aljamain Sterling considered retiring after his unanimous decision loss to Movsar Evloev at UFC 310 late last year, but now he’s determined to fight on and has targeted potential fights against either Brian Ortega or Arnold Allen for his next Octagon appearance.
“A lot of fans don’t think I lost that fight [against Evloev],” Sterling told MMA Junkie. “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, Brian Ortega.”
A former bantamweight champion, the 35-year-old Sterling is currently ranked No.9 at featherweight, leaving him just a few places below Arnold (No.7) and Ortega (No.6), so he sees them both as good stepping stones towards title contention, but he’s not too proud to fight a lower ranked contender if that’s what it takes.
“I want to fight up,” Sterling acknowledged. “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.”
Sterling went on to say that he’s aiming to return to action in April, and believes he could fight again later in the year to potentially put himself firmly into title contention at 145lbs.
“I’d say (I’m) maybe one or two fights away [from a title shot],” Sterling estimated. “So, it just really depends on the landscape, how I look in the fight, 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.
“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. Maybe fight again in August or September, and get ready to go.”
