Aljamain Sterling wants to leave no doubt as to who is the next featherweight title challenger.
On Saturday, Jean Silva made it two in a row, knocking out Jose Miguel Delgado in the main event of this year’s Noche UFC event. Afterward, Silva called for a shot at the winner of the upcoming featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev at UFC 333. But the former bantamweight champion, who is also currently on a two-fight winning streak, had something to say about that, first asserting his own title claim, and then challenging Silva to a fight for the spot at Madison Square Garden in November.
But with a little more time to think about it, Sterling thinks December makes more sense for their title eliminator fight, so that way he gets the best version of Silva, and no one can deny his right to fight for the title.
“Even if it’s a Fight Night, I don’t give a f*ck,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “December, run that shit. Run that shit. Run that shit. All I’m saying is, I want to give him the fair opportunity to heal, be ready, be the best version of himself, and I would love to have that fight.
“I want to fight the fights that make the most sense; the biggest names, the fights that get me somewhere. Not just taking random fights just to say I fought this guy. Bro, I don’t give a f*ck. I’m 37. It’s time to shit or get off the pot.
“I’m gonna be fair; I’m gonna do the right thing and say, I want you at your best. Take the time, heal up, let’s run this shit for December, and we do this and see who is the clear-cut No. 1 contender. Because if Evloev wins, you know he’s not fighting any time soon. He’s got Ramadan coming up. The division’s gonna be in a standstill position, and nothing’s gonna happen for a while.
“So the most common sense thing, in my personal opinion, is to let us figure it out, and see who wins. We both stay busy, stay active, and get a clear-cut No. 1 contender for the title. I don’t think it’s rocket science, at all.”
While Silva hasn’t accepted Sterling’s challenge, he also hasn’t shot the idea down, instead responding to Sterling’s initial callout with a bit of trash talk. Silva also outlined several injuries suffered in the lead-up to Noche UFC, which could take some time to heal.
Whenever he does get to step into the cage with Silva, though, Sterling is supremely confident that he’ll have the cement himself as the next featherweight title challenger.
“I know they had the ‘Beware of Dog’ signs, but I got something for that,” Sterling said. “I like to think my style is the ultimate equalizer. Just like they talk about power, I got something else.”
