According to recent reports, Aljamain Sterling has not been granted the title shot he called for from the UFC.
Sterling’s frustration has been evident lately, and it is not hard to see why.
The former bantamweight champion has not fought since his win over Brian Ortega last August. Since then, he has been vocal about wanting a featherweight title shot.
While the 36-year-old American is set to make his return, it will not come in the form of a title fight across two divisions, as he had hoped.
Aljamain Sterling vs Youssef Zalal reportedly set for UFC Vegas 116
According to Leo Walker Guimaraes, Sterling is expected to face seventh-ranked featherweight Youssef Zalal at UFC Vegas 116 on April 25.
Sterling has alternated between wins and losses in his last four outings, a stretch that began with his knockout defeat to Sean O’Malley that ended his bantamweight title reign. Meanwhile, ‘The Moroccan Devil’ has not lost in nine fights.
Zalal drew against Da’Mon Blackshear in 2022. Since then, he has put together eight straight victories and gone 5-0 since rejoining the UFC. His most recent win was an armbar submission over former title challenger Josh Emmett.
If Guimaraes’ report holds up, the fight will be part of the undercard for Sean Brady’s welterweight main event against Joaquin Buckley at the Apex.
Besides his frustration over not landing a featherweight title shot, Sterling has also suggested that the UFC has been intentionally keeping him inactive to “waste his youth”.
He has not shied away from criticising the promotion before, including recent comments about fighter pay following Conor Benn’s $15 million Zuffa Boxing deal.
Sterling said on The Ariel Helwani show: “Good for him. I’m not going to knock another man, but you’ve got to imagine a lot of [UFC] fighters have been pretty irritated by that. Rightfully so.
“Obviously, the fighters ourselves, not everyone’s going to be demanding $15 million. But I mean, come on – $7.7 billion. Come on, are we not going to talk about that? That’s kind of where I’m at.”
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