- Aljamain Sterling revealed who among the other contenders deserves a title shot
- “Funk Master” is confident but isn’t writing off T.J. Dillashaw
After a series of war of words, reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will finally face his nemesis T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280. As early as now, “Funk Master” already has an idea of who deserves to get the nod as his next title challenger.
It boils down to 2
According to Sterling, current flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo appears to be making a case if he decides to move up and Henry Cejudo’s looming return is also notable. However, based on recent performances at bantamweight, Aljo limited it to just between Marlon “Chito” Vera or Sean O’Malley.
“There’s a couple of wildcards like Din Thomas just mentioned. You’ve got Deiveson Figueiredo potentially coming up to 135 [pounds]. You got Cejudo kinda waiting in the wings somewhere, around there, doing his thing,” Sterling said on UFC Live.
“But I think for me, it comes down to the best matchup, the best performances, and I think right now ‘Chito’s’ definitely the front-runner,” he continued. “After I get past T.J., because I don’t want to look past him, I get the job done. I think whoever has the best performance, it might be a ‘Sugar’ show, it might be a ‘Chito’ show. I’m not sure which one yet.”
Aljo seems right
Looking at Sterling’s assessment, it appears that the champ is really watching the contenders closely. His front-runner, Vera is coming off a four-fight winning streak, capped off by a stunning KO win over former champion Dominick Cruz. On the other hand, O’Malley has finished three of his last four opponents via KO and TKO.
Until then, Sterling has a title to defend at UFC 280 against Dillashaw. The champ previously said that he’s planning to utilize “three different game plans” come fight night, so let’s just wait and see.
