Aljamain Sterling responds to Aaron Pico’s ‘ranking squatters’ criticism

Aaron Pico, after his spectacular knockout victory at UFC 333 over Losene Keita, called out top-ranked featherweights and accused them of sitting on their rankings and avoiding challenging matchups. The former Bellator standout labeled them “ranking sqautters”.

Now, Aljamain Sterling, who is ranked among the top featherweights, has fired back at Pico. 

Aljamain Sterling takes aim at Aaron Pico 

In his recent YouTube video, Sterling pointed out that three of his UFC fights featured opponents who were not ranked. He also argued that he has no control over how frequently the promotion books him for fights.

“Aaron Pico called me out, he basically said I'm a ranking merchant just squatting on my ranking. And it's just fascinating because of 3 of my UFC fights, 3 guys were not ranked. So it's just bizarre to me that he can say that when I don't control how often I get to fight because the UFC has me waiting,” Sterling said.

Sterling defended himself by comparing his run in the featherweight division and the level of competition he has faced. He pointed out that he was the only one calling out then-undefeated Movsar Evloev for a showdown and that he lost in a close contest, pushing back on the narrative that he is avoiding tough matchups. 

The former bantamweight champion then went on to question Pico’s credentials to demand a fight against a top-ranked featherweight. ‘Funk Master’ pointed to the former Bellator star’s brutal loss to Lerone Murphy in his UFC debut.

While Sterling acknowledged Pico’s decision win over Patricio Pitbull, he argued that it was not enough to justify immediately calling out a fighter ranked significantly higher.

The former champion also rejected the suggestion that he was avoiding Pico. He argued that the criticism was an attempt to create a narrative around his willingness to accept fights.

"So him trying to create a narrative that I'm avoiding him or anyone is avoiding him. It's like, no, you came in, you got flatlined by a guy who basically has almost all decisions in the UFC. Why are you picking on me, bro?" Sterling concluded.

Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below: 

Aaron Pico pushes for a top-ranked opponent as Aljamain Sterling prepares for crucial UFC Qatar test

Pico was set to face top-ranked Arnold Allen at UFC 333, but Allen withdrew from the bout, and the unranked Keita replaced him on short notice. The former Bellator fighter made a statement with a first-round knockout victory over Keita, which put him in position to demand a higher-ranked opponent. He is now 2-1 in the UFC. 

Meanwhile, Sterling is set for a tough test against Kevin Vallejos. They will square off at UFC Qatar on November 21 at the ABHA Arena. The fight could shape the featherweight division, as champion Alexander Volkanovski recently said that if ‘Funk Master’ beats Vallejos, he deserves a title shot over Jean Silva, who is also in the discussion.