Aljamain Sterling: UFC 'wants to see me lose'

Aljamain Sterling said he has not received opponents of his choice and renewed his push for a featherweight title opportunity, highlighting matchmaking debates in the UFC. Speaking after winning a wrestling match via fall at RAF 6 on Saturday, Sterling referenced Alexander Volkanovski and a featherweight title shot while criticizing the rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes at UFC 325. He said he would face Yair Rodriguez, Jean Silva, or Youssef Zalal and maintained he has never turned down a bout. Sterling captured the UFC bantamweight belt against Petr Yan in 2021, defended it three times, and lost it to Sean O'Malley in 2023 before moving to featherweight. Since then he has defeated Calvin Kattar and Brian Ortega and lost to Movsar Evloev.