Aljamain Sterling wants Marlon Moraes rematch with UFC bantamweight title up for grabs
When UFC bantamweight
Aljamain Sterling posted a
photo of himself in Hawaii, leaning back in a chair and smiling, it wasn’t hard to decipher the meaning – or the intended audience.
Now that T.J. Dillashaw is no longer the champ and the title is up for grabs, Sterling figures he’s in a prime position.
“Hopefully, they do the right thing for the division,” he told MMA Junkie Radio. “Obviously, they’re going to do what they do for the money fights for them, so hopefully, that guy is me.”
Behind Dillashaw, Cody Garbrandt and Dominick Cruz, Sterling (17-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) believes he’s the most popular fighter in the division by social media reach and savvy. And he’d like the promotion to recognize that by giving him a rematch against the consensus No. 1 contender
Marlon Moraes (22-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC).
It’s only been 15 months since Moraes knocked out Sterling with a head kick, but that’s not too soon for “Funkmaster,” who’s repeatedly called out the ex-WSOF champ.
“Who else is there for him to fight besides Henry Cejudo, who’s never fought at bantamweight before?” Unless they’re going to keep this moving up weight class bull(expletive) going on, it doesn’t make any sense for anybody to get back in there besides me,” Sterling said. “I think with a full training camp, this is a completely different fight.”
Sterling contends he didn’t take Moraes seriously when he accepted a short-notice bout at UFC Fight Night 123. Based on Moraes’ previous performances, he thought he’d have an easy night of work. He didn’t do the homework that might have pointed out his opponent’s tendency to throw kicks leading with his knee.
“With that one fine detail, you would know you just can’t just go in shooting a blind open shot with your arms wide open, far out of range, and not using any type of setup,” he said.
Of course, that’s exactly what happened, and Moraes sent Sterling crashing to the canvas with one shot. If they get in the octagon again, Sterling vows that won’t happen.
“It was a complete rookie mistake on my end,” Sterling said. “I don’t want to say it’s luck, but that wasn’t his intent was. I just happened to be doing something that was the worst thing I could possibly do in that moment in that exchange.
“He got his hand raised that night, but come this rematch, I truly believe I can stand with anyone in the world, and when the tough gets going, if I need to get the fight to the ground, I can always lean on my wrestling and my cardio and jiu-jitsu. Snatching necks and cashing checks.”
So far, Sterling hasn’t received any kind of promise from the UFC matchmaking department that his wish will be granted. But he’s ready to fight whenever or wherever the promotion wants.
“I’m definitely throwing my hat in the mix,” he said. “This has been a long journey. This has been the culmination of everything I’ve worked so hard for. I’m back at the top and I’m ready to keep climbing those ranks to get that UFC gold.
“(UFC President) Dana White, sign my ass up. I’m ready to go.”
For more on the upcoming UFC schedule, check out the
UFC Rumorssection of the site.
MMA Junkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Dan Tom. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio. You can also check out www.siriusxm.com/siriusxmfightnation.
. Paulie tried warning you 
they showing Conor how the big boys play.
