UFC 288 has not been under the belt for too long but we already have some interesting future implications. With bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling securing yet another win, it won’t be long before he thinks about moving up.
Following his recent win over Henry Cejudo at UFC 288, there were a lot of questions about Sterling’s immediate future. While the UFC heavily touted a fight with Sean O’Malley, Sterling seemingly had different plans. According to former welterweight champ and coach Matt Serra, Sterling originally intended to call out Alexander Volkanovski.
However, seeing that his performance wasn’t as dominant as he would’ve liked, Sterling decided not to call out the featherweight champ. Despite that Matt Serra believes a potential fight between the two would be an easy night for Sterling. “Aljo with his arms, they’re wirey, if he doesn’t get the neck, he’ll break the jaw,” says Serra. “I believe if he gets that back, he’s finishing… That’s a winnable fight, I feel, and I like Volkanovski a lot.”
As such, it appears that Serra is convinced that a showdown between Sterling and Volkanovski will happen in the future. With both Funk Master and Alexander The Great dominating their respective divisions, a showdown between the two would surely be one to watch. Should Aljo beat O’Malley and Volkanovski do the same with Yair Rodriguez, it becomes a very likely possibility come the end of the year.
Aljamain Sterling believes he can beat Alexander Volkanovski
Whilst Matt Serra has only just revealed Sterling’s plans to call out Volkanovski, it might in fact have been a long time coming. Previously, Sterling, fresh off his victory against TJ Dillashaw, felt confident about his chances against the Aussie featherweight. At the time, Sterling’s next opponent had not yet been picked out.
Thereafter, Volkanovski took on lightweight champ Islam Makhachev in a close-fought affair at UFC 284. Despite a heroic effort, Volk was unable to secure the win, losing via unanimous decision. Following the fight, many credited Volk’s takedown defense and grappling against Makhachev as well.
If I rolled with Volk, I 100% think I’d sub him 1-2x. Not saying it’ll be easy anymore. He does his homework, but I believe I’d get him https://t.co/BbBGM45agp
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) February 13, 2023
However, much to the surprise of many fans, Sterling claimed that he could submit Volkanovski easily. Taking to Twitter, Sterling wrote, “If I rolled with Volk, I 100% think I’d sub him 1-2x. Not saying it’ll be easy anymore. He does his homework, but I believe I’d get him”. Whilst some die-hard fans supported Sterling, his comments were ridiculed by the majority of fans.
Following his latest win against Cejudo, a lot more fans are starting to believe in Sterling. For one, Brendan Schaub believes that Sterling is more versed in BJJ than Makhachev, meaning that Volk could be in more danger against the bantamweight champ. Whether the fight ever materializes in the future remains to be seen, but if does, who are you picking? Does Volkanovski dominate or does Sterling get the submission? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.