Aljamain Sterling Pays the Price for Rejecting UFC Opponent Outside Top 10

Although he has moved up to the featherweight division, he has had just two fights in two years, and now it appears he could be sidelined even further by the Dana White-led promotion. The last time ‘Funkmaster’ entered the Octagon was back in April, when he defeated Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision. He is currently ranked fourth in the featherweight division, but despite his ranking, he was offered an out-of-top-10 fight, which he turned down.

Aljamain Sterling Breaks Silence on Rejecting UFC Opponent

While speaking on his YouTube channel, ‘Funkmaster’ confirmed that he recently turned down an opponent; however, he refused to reveal the fighter’s name.

“I was offered a fight that was outside of the Top 10, and I felt like it didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. I am ranked fourth in the world right now. I am 37. I don’t know. Sometimes I don’t understand the rhyme or reason for certain things,” said Sterling. 

Aljamain Sterling emphasised that the featherweight division is witnessing some high-profile fights at the top, while questioning why he has struggled to secure a quality opponent of his own.

“I only got one more shot at this, and I wanna make sure it's the best shot that I get," he said. "And if I'm gonna risk it, I wanna make sure I'm risking it for something that makes sense, you know? I ask to be active, but also, activity comes with a cost."

At 37, the former bantamweight champion understands that he is in the last leg of his career, and to make it stand out, he wants to at least fight for the featherweight title. However, the UFC appears adamant about not giving him what he wants. 

Well, the promotion rarely plays any games when it comes to fight offers. Once Dana White and his team put up a fight on the table, turning it down might mean a long wait before another opportunity could come knocking. 

However, despite this, Sterling is hoping that something will fall into place sooner or later. That said, the former bantamweight champion has an opponent on his mind.

‘Funkmaster’ Reveals Who He Wants to Fight Next

While nothing seems to be working in his favour right now, Aljamain Sterling revealed in the same video that he wants to face No. 5-ranked Arnold Allen. 

"I would have liked to have been offered the fight with Arnold Allen," Sterling said.  

Well, here’s where things get suspicious: the UFC might have initially wanted to match Sterling against Pico, but Sterling turned down the fight. Dana White then reportedly approached Allen about the clash, and he agreed to it.

While this is only a theory for now, it could be the most likely scenario behind what happened. That said, will the promotion listen to Sterling, or will he be forced to sit on the sidelines for another year before getting a fight?