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Aljamain Sterling was impressed with Alexander Volkanovski’s newest title protection at UFC 290 this previous weekend (July 8, 2023).
The UFC Featherweight champion, Volkanovski’s, third spherical technical knockout of Yair Rodriguez was the fifth time he’s efficiently fended off a challenger. Earlier than going through Rodriguez, Volkanovski made a quick trek as much as Light-weight to assert Light-weight gold. Sadly for “The Nice,” the 155-pound titlist, Islam Makhachev, turned him away through unanimous determination (watch highlights).
Volkanovski nonetheless hopes to get a second crack at Makhachev however the timeline for when which may be an choice is unsure. At Featherweight, Ilia Topuria has risen to rivalry and would be the probably subsequent challenger. Nevertheless, ought to Sterling get by Sean O’Malley in his upcoming Bantamweight title protection at UFC 292 on Aug. 19, 2023, “Funkmaster” hopes to problem the Australian legend.
“I might like to get that problem earlier than he would cling it up and be all stated and finished,” Sterling stated on his YouTube channel. “I missed the chance to combat Jose Aldo. I’ve been making an attempt to combat a few of these guys who’re thought of the best or the largest names. Petr Yan, Cory Sandhagen, T.J. Dillashaw, Henry Cejudo, now combating Sean, who’s gonna be type of like my Conor McGregor second. Then to have a possibility to combat Volkanovski can be like an actual legacy-defining second for my profession. I might even say for him, too.”
Sterling, 33, final fought in Might 2023, incomes his third consecutive title protection by defeating Cejudo through a break up determination. Recognized for his excessive combat IQ and phenomenal Olympic-level wrestling background, Cejudo didn’t make it straightforward for Sterling regardless of returning after a three-year retirement.
In a possible conflict with the Featherweight champion, Sterling sees similarities to Cejudo that he’d be confronted with.
“I feel the factor that makes the combat between myself and Volk attention-grabbing is — folks can say, ‘Oh, he’s gonna crush you in a single,’ no matter,” Sterling stated. “These guys preserve saying this. Not the followers, the precise different individuals who simply have one thing to at all times harp on about. I feel the factor we each carry to the desk is the combat IQ and having the ability to make these changes. I feel that’s for me the problem identical to it was for Henry.
“The combat was shut although in my head I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m simply up 4 rounds going into this fifth,’” he continued. “I feel what makes it attention-grabbing is what he brings to the desk when it comes to the changes he could make. When he made that mid-fight adjustment in opposition to Yair Rodriguez within the third spherical, it was like after that headbutt sequence, I feel Yair ought to have taken just a little bit longer of time [to recover].”
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