Aljamain Sterling Pulls Out of UFC 307 Due to Injury
Aljamain Sterling would like to find a way to fight for the featherweight championship. But Sterling’s pursuit of more glory in the weight class will be delayed for at least a few more months. According to MMAfighting latest news, Sterling announced recently that he would be forced out of his UFC featherweight fight with Movsar Evloev.
It is a disappointing turn of events for Sterling, who last fought at UFC 300 against Calvin Kattar. Sterling had taken six months off since losing his bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292. There was some thought that Sterling may have retired if he lost to Kattar at UFC 300.
But Sterling, who is ranked No. 9 in featherweight, dominated Kattar and is hoping to try and become a multi-division champion. The question for Sterling is how he will be able to work his way back into the title picture when he returns from injury.
Sterling has been a consistent performer during his time in the UFC. He has always been a fighter who likes to push the pace with his wrestling.
Move to Featherweight Made Sense
Sterling had a successful run at bantamweight. During Sterling’s title reign, he set a UFC record with three title defenses. However, even if O’Malley hadn’t knocked him out, there were a few things that likely would have made him consider moving up a weight class.
One of the major issues that Sterling raised while he was champion was his unwillingness to fight Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili and Sterling are friends and train together. While UFC CEO Dana White mocked the pair for saying they wouldn’t fight each other, Sterling moved up as soon as he suffered the loss to O’Malley.
Dvalishvili would end up getting revenge for Sterling at UFC 306. Before Sterling lost to O’Malley, the MMA latest updates show he was angling for a fight with then-featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. When Sterling lost to O’Malley, the opportunity for him to be a double champion disappeared.
One thing that hurt Sterling during his last fight was not being able to secure a finish against Kattar. Sterling was able to neutralize Kattar’s striking by leaning on his wrestling. The fight spent the majority of the time on the ground and drew some criticism for not being exciting.
It was a rough card not to perform your best. When UFC 300 was promoted as one of the biggest shows in the UFC’s history, the organization did its best to stack the card with former and current champions.
Evloev Stuck Holding the Bag
While fight fans may be disappointed to see Sterling drop out, no one will be more disappointed than Evloev. He has won the first 18 fights of his MMA career and is ranked No. 6 in the division. The MMA breaking news of Sterling dropping out doesn’t leave the UFC with many options for a replacement.
Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is set to fight No. 2 contender Max Holloway at UFC 308. No. 1 contender Alexander Volkanovski may want more time to recover before he returns. Diego Lopes, who is third in the rankings, already posted on X that he wasn’t interested in a rematch with Evloev.
Lopes’ last loss in the UFC came to Evloev in 2023. Lopes had taken the fight with Evloev on short notice and impressed everyone by taking the fight to a decision.
“You had your chance a few months ago when I called you to fight!!” Lopes wrote. “Now you sit back and watch as the bus leaves you waiting.”
Evloev needs to find a fighter to help get his name out among casual fans. While Evloev has yet to suffer a professional defeat, his fighting style isn’t what the UFC typically likes to promote. Eleven of Evloev’s 18 wins have gone to a decision.
Evloev hasn’t finished an opponent since he was fighting in M1. While Evloev is unbeaten in the UFC, all eight of his wins have reached the scorecards.
How Much Does Sterling Have Left?
Sterling, 35, started fighting professionally in 2011. He is a fighter that is capable of utilizing his strong wrestling or relying on his strong striking to win fights. However, Sterling doesn’t have much left to prove.
There may be a desire to prove he can win at a heavier weight class, but he is running out of time. Fighters like Topuria and Holloway are levels above Sterling in terms of striking. Sterling would need to get some big breaks to grab the belt. Sterling helped turn his career around after losing by knockout to Marlon Moraes in December 2017.
Sterling scored six consecutive wins before getting a shot to challenge Petr Yan for the title. Sterling would end up controversially winning the championship. Yan ended up hitting Sterling with an illegal knee.
Sterling said he couldn’t continue and won the championship by disqualification. He would go on to defend the title against Yan, T.J. Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo.
Rest and Recovery
Sterling said he did everything he could to not pull out of the fight. Once he felt the pain of the injury, Sterling explained on his YouTube channel that he had taken several precautions to try and make the fight.
“I did stem cells,” Sterling said. “I took time off. I tried to rehab it as much as I could with the (UFC Performance Institute). Unfortunately, it’s out of my hands now.”
Losing the fight is rough for UFC 307. It took a while for the UFC to figure out its fight lineup for the card in Salt Lake City. The main event is a bit of a surprise. Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira is set to defend his title against Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event.
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By Dean McHugh.
