Las Vegas – Former UFC bantamweight champion turned featherweight fighter Aljamain Sterling isn’t willing to call Movsar Evloev boring as the two get set to fight at UFC 310 this Saturday night.
“I can appreciate a technical fight. I wouldn’t really consider him boring. I think Dana (White) saying that fight with Arnold Allen was boring was kind of a stretch,” Sterling told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.
“It’s probably more his dislike for Movsar. I think he might dislike him more than me.”
Sterling (24-4) was referring to UFC CEO Dana White calling Evloev’s fight with Allen at UFC 297 one of the worst fights he’s ever seen. Sterling insinuated that it might have more to do with what Evloev has done in his time with the UFC.
“8 fights, no finishes, all decisions. I at least got a couple finishes in there specially at the beginning of my career when the competition isn’t as tough. That’s what you’re supposed to do. Fighting the best guys is not easy to finish the best guys in the world,” he said.
“I look to do that Saturday night against Movsar.”
The build up to the fight hasn’t been short on trash talk with both Movsar and Sterling trading jabs on social media and in interviews. Earlier during media day Evloev told reporters that Sterling had messaged him trying to write in Russian.
Sterling got a kick out of that.
“I think it was like Dagestan language, but I think they told me it means ‘What’s up bro’ something like that. That is really it. And he said ‘stay healthy’,” Sterling said.
“No bad blood on my end. He was a little butt hurt about the steroid allegation, but I’m like dude…you don’t hear that from my circle of friends or anyone I’ve ever trained with. There’s got to be a reason why people are actually bringing that up.”
Sterling is used to fighting on big cards, but he’ll go into the event with a friendly face sharing the fight card with him. Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, and fellow Serra-Longo fight team member, will be fighting just a couple of bouts before Sterling makes the walk.
“It was good to see Chris. We’re still really good friends. We haven’t played each other in chess in a little bit so I got to challenge him,” Sterling told Cageside Press.
“I remember we both fought in Boston and that was kind of sh*tty because we both came up short. It’ll be nice to turn it around this weekend. If not we’re never fighting on the same card again.”
Watch the entire media day scrum above. Aljamain Sterling takes on Movsar Evloev at UFC 310 on Saturday night.
