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Aljamain Sterling Considers Fighting Future after First Featherweight Loss at UFC 310

Former champ Aljamain Sterling doesn't plan on retiring but is on the fence about making another title run after UFC 310.

Christopher De Santiago

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Aljamain Sterling's unsure where to go from here.

The former UFC Bantamweight Champion doesn't want to retire after losing to Movsar Evloev at UFC 310, but Sterling knows his days in the fight game are numbered at 35 years old. A title shot wouldn't have been out of the question had he won against Evloev, but after coming out on the wrong side of a split decision, Sterling's road to gold just got that much harder.

UFC 310: Movsar Evloev Outscrambles Aljamain Sterling, Improves to 19-0

Sterling After Latest Setback: "The End Goal Is So Much Further..."

With Alexander Volkanovski, Diego Lopes, and Evloev all talked-about as title contenders, the #9-ranked Sterling wonders if he'll ever make it to a championship fight with Ilia Topuria.

"At 35, I don't know if I really wanna climb the ladder all over again," Sterling said on his YouTube channel. "The end goal is so much further. It's just I'm at a point where it's like, is that worth the time invested for the surgeries, the pain, the training, the sacrifice? Do I still have that fight to commit to do that all the way up into the belt again, knowing that there's still a good chance, like, there's still some other dogs that I could potentially fight and not have a fight go my way - I'm not ignorant to that."

"So it's just kinda like making a decision, like, do I continue, or do I just help out the guys and help them get ready for their fights and whatnot and maybe just take fun fights. I don't know. I don't wanna retire. But I gotta see what the UFC offers and then kind of make a decision to go from there to see what where my positioning is. I just don't feel like I could have lost stock in that.

Sterling says his first loss at featherweight could potentially see him move up the rankings, given how close his fight with the #5-ranked Evloev was. Regardless, Sterling believes his fighting future will come down to how much more work he's willing to put in to become a two-weight world champion.

Aljamain Sterling Considers Fighting Future after First Featherweight Loss at UFC 310
UFC's Aljamain Sterling. / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

"Funkmaster" Can't Train The Way He Used To

It's been a long journey for Sterling already, from an amateur debut in 2009 all the way to an array of championship fights at bantamweight, holding the most title defenses in the division's history.

"I'm only 35. I know people think like, 'You still look good' and everything, but it's just like my body hurts, man," Sterling continued. "I can't train the way I used to. I used to do 2-3 training sessions a day. I can't do that no more. Even the grappling sessions I would do to make 135, I can't do it. I feel like I can't do that anymore. It's just not, I can't train the way I used to."

"I don't know if that gave me an edge or just broke my body down more. But, yeah, that's just where I'm at. So I I just gotta see where the the chips fall and go from there."

Sterling is interested in an immediate rematch with Movsar Evloev, however, the former champion is focusing on taking some much-needed time off rather than on his next fight.

Aljamain Sterling Considers Fighting Future after First Featherweight Loss at UFC 310
Former UFC Champion Aljamain Sterling. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Whether it's one last title run or fighting for the love of the game, time will tell what Aljamain Sterling envisions for the rest of his career.

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Christopher De Santiago
CHRISTOPHER DE SANTIAGO

Christopher De Santiago is a 22 year-old journalist from Gainesville, Texas with years of experience covering MMA.

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