Sterling Sidelined After Rejecting Unranked Opponent

Aljamain Sterling has been left on the sidelines after rejecting a UFC fight offer against an opponent outside the featherweight top ten.

Sterling, ranked fourth at 145 pounds, revealed on his YouTube podcast that he declined the matchup and was subsequently excluded from October's UFC 333 card, per MMA Mania. The event features champion Alexander Volkanovski against Movsar Evloev in the main event, with No. 5 Arnold Allen facing No. 13 Aaron Pico on the undercard.

Why Sterling Turned Down The Fight

The former bantamweight champion said he wanted the Allen fight instead. "I was offered a fight that was outside of the top 10, and I felt like it didn't make a whole lot of sense to me," Sterling said. "I am ranked fourth in the world right now. I am 37. I don't know. Sometimes I don't understand the rhyme or reason for certain things."

Sterling emphasized that taking risks against lower-ranked opponents offers little upside at this stage of his career. He explained that a win would likely keep him in the same position, while a loss could drop him significantly in the rankings. The 37-year-old noted this was the first fight offer he has turned down in his UFC tenure.

Since moving up from bantamweight, Sterling has gone 3-1 at featherweight, with his only defeat coming against Evloev. He last fought in April, stopping Youssef Zalal at UFC Vegas 116. Sterling said the promotion did not indicate any future benefits to accepting the unranked matchup. The UFC typically shelves fighters for four to six months after they decline an offer.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Aljamain Sterling left on sideline after turning down opponent outside the top ten