Sterling Demands Featherweight Title Shot
Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling delivered a blistering post-fight interview criticizing other featherweight contenders and demanding a title shot, declaring "I'm gonna prove them wrong again." Sterling's comments suggest he's positioning himself as next in line for a championship opportunity at 145 pounds after moving up from bantamweight.
Aljamain Sterling held the UFC bantamweight title and set records for the most wins, consecutive wins, and consecutive title defenses in the division's history before losing the belt to Sean O'Malley at UFC 292. He became the first champion in UFC history to win a title by disqualification. Since moving to the 145-pound featherweight division, Sterling has had a mixed but notable run. He debuted with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024. He followed that with a win over former title challenger Brian Ortega in August 2025, before losing a unanimous decision to the undefeated Movsar Evloev at UFC 310 on December 7, 2024. Despite the recent loss, Sterling currently sits at #5 in the official UFC featherweight rankings. Ahead of him are top contenders like the undefeated Movsar Evloev (#1), recent title challenger Diego Lopes (#2), Yair Rodriguez (#3), and Brian Ortega (#4). The current featherweight champion is Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski, who is in his second reign. Volkanovski reclaimed the vacant title in April 2025 by defeating Diego Lopes, after the previous champion, Ilia Topuria, moved up to lightweight. Volkanovski is considered one of the greatest featherweights of all time, alongside legendary champions like José Aldo and Max Holloway. A potential fight with Sterling would pit the former bantamweight king against a fighter who has already defended the featherweight title five times in his first reign.
