Aljamain Sterling recently voiced his frustration after seeing his spot in the UFC’s official rankings. The former champ didn’t hold back after being placed No. 9 in the featherweight division. “Funk Master” needed only five words to make his feelings clear.
Aljamain Sterling Summoned the One in Charge of the Rankings
Sterling made his debut in the UFC as a bantamweight. His time in the division also includes a championship run. Sterling bagged the UFC Bantamweight Gold at UFC 259 with a victory via disqualification due to an illegal knee from his rival, Petr Yan. The Uniondale, N.Y., native defended his title three times before losing it to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 after enduring a TKO defeat in the second round.
His fall from the bantamweight throne at UFC 292 prompted Sterling’s move to featherweight. The 35-year-old had his first UFC fight as a featherweight at UFC 300 against Calvin Kattar. “Funk Master” put out a commanding performance in the encounter to secure his first Featherweight victory via unanimous decision.
Sterling’s victory run at Featherweight couldn’t continue for long as he endured a defeat in his next fight. Sterling locked horns with the currently No. 5-ranked contender, Movsar Evloev, in the encounter. Despite putting up a superb show of resilience throughout the fight, Sterling picked up a unanimous decision defeat at its end, which also marked his initial loss at Featherweight.
On account of his 1-1 Featherweight record, Sterling currently sits in the No. 9 spot of the divisional rankings. However, the former Bantamweight Champ probably isn’t very satisfied with his position in the rankings.
In a recent post on X, Sterling questioned the system behind the rankings, writing, “Who is in charge here??” He also shared a screenshot of the current top 15.
However, a look at the current scenario of the Featherweight division indicates that Sterling might have other reasons behind his discontent with the current rankings.
The current standings feature Max Holloway at the No. 1 spot even after enduring a loss against Ilia Topuria at UFC 306. Holloway’s last victory at Featherweight came against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung on Aug. 26, 2023. Meanwhile, Sterling’s former rival, Evloev, occupies the fifth rank despite being undefeated in his pro-MMA career with a nine-fight winning streak in the UFC since his debut.