Aljamain Sterling Reveals why He Would Have Turned Down Noche UFC Main Event with Jean Silva
Aljamain Sterling wasn't offered the Jean Silva fight at Noche UFC, and his words portrayed that the UFC was right in doing so.
Aljamain Sterling's current position in the featherweight division makes him a viable contender to face Jean Silva at the upcoming Noche UFC. Dana White didn't show much interest in Sterling, despite the withdrawal of Silva's initially elected opponent from the bout.
While many would have tried to get the fight by presenting their case, Sterling took the opposite route and implied that the UFC was indeed right not to consider him for the spot.
Aljamain Sterling Stresses Requirement of Full Camp Before Next Fight
Several rumors suggested that Sterling was also being considered as Silva's replacement opponent for the Noche UFC main event. However, 'FunkMaster' blew them out during a recent episode of his podcast. Besides revealing that he wasn't even offered the fight, Sterling stated that he would have turned it down due to his current conditioning.
He said, "If I was offered Jean Silva, I would have looked them straight in the eyes and said, 'You know what? I will absolutely not take that fu**ing fight. Because I would be on the ground wheezing for air, and I'm not afraid to admit it.'"
Subsequently, Sterling also highlighted the reason behind getting out of fight shape. "I just got back from Serbia and Albania, you think I'm freaking in fight shape ready to do five rounds on short notice?" he said. "Hell no! Give me a training camp."
Aljamain Sterling says he was not offered the Jean Silva fight at #NocheUFC after Yair Rodriguez withdrew, but if he had...
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) August 25, 2026
Sterling explains why he wouldn't have taken it on short notice. 👀
📰 https://t.co/OYKP1r0ZIr pic.twitter.com/GzENMpbPAS
Dana White picked former interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez to face Silva in the main event of Noche UFC on Sept. 12. However, about five days ago, Rodriguez announced his withdrawal from the encounter through an Instagram post due to an undisclosed injury.
In such situations, UFC authorities contact multiple contenders to fill the empty spot on short notice. This time, the No. 15-ranked Jose Miguel Delgado accepted the offer and earned himself a spot in the Noche UFC main event against Silva.
On the other hand, nothing can be said about when Sterling will decide to return to the octagon after his trip to Serbia and Albania.
