This past weekend on the prelims of UFC 310, we saw a big time matchup in the featherweight division. Movsar Evloev (19-0) was looking to remain undefeated as he took on former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (24-5).
The former bantamweight champion moved up to 145 earlier this year after losing his bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley last August. He made his debut at UFC 300 with a decision win over Calvin Kattar. He was hoping that he could become the first to defeat Evloev which would put him right in the mix for a featherweight title shot.
I was struggling to see how Sterling would defeat Evloev entering the bout, but Sterling showed in the first round that he was very game. He was able to land a huge takedown and get the back of the undefeated top contender. This was a very high-level grappling chess match with both men having success.
I thought Evloev got the better of the second round and then with things all tied up, Sterling started strong in the third. However, Evloev had slightly more time on top in the final round after some scrambles and that was just enough to earn him the unanimous decision at UFC 310.
What’s next after UFC 310?
Aljamain Sterling has since come out and said he’s not sure what’s next after Saturday night. The former champion is 35-years-old and has been public about not wanting to fight very much longer. He’s not sure he has it in him to try and make another run up the mountain towards a title shot.
However, what I would tell Sterling is that he’s not that far away even after losing on Saturday night. Despite the loss, I don’t think he lost that much ground and honestly, I think he’s only two impressive wins away from a UFC title shot. With that, I think he should keep on fighting from here.
If he decides to, what should be next for him? That comes down to how quickly he wants to turn things around. I think a great next opponent for him could be Arnold Allen and my guess is that Arnold Allen is going to be fighting at UFC London in March. If Sterling wants to fight soon, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing that at all.
An opponent on the shortlist for Allen could be Josh Emmett and also, that’s another option for Sterling. A win over either of those guys would have Sterling right back on track where he’d only need a win or two more to get a featherweight title shot given his resume.