Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has revealed that he recently turned down a fight for the first time in his UFC career, citing the risks of accepting an opponent outside the featherweight division’s top 10.
Sterling, who now competes at 145 pounds, said in a video posted to his YouTube channel that he believes he is at a critical stage of his career. The 37-year-old is currently ranked No. 4 in the world and wants his remaining fights to have a clear impact on his legacy.
“This is the first fight I ever turned down in my UFC career,” Sterling said. “I was offered a fight that was outside of the top 10, and I felt like it didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I am ranked fourth in the world right now. I am 37. I only got one more shot at this, and I want to make sure it's the best shot that I get, and if I'm going to risk it, I want to make sure I'm risking it for something that makes sense.”
Sterling explained that he sees little upside in defeating an opponent ranked below the top 10, while a loss could significantly damage his position in the rankings.
“For me to lose to someone not even being in the top 10…like, rolling the dice and some people just say ‘oh, you can't think like that’,” Sterling said. “Like, dude you gotta look at the positives and the negatives. If I were to win, what does that get me? Probably nowhere. I'm in the same exact position. I'm just fighting for a paycheck.”
The former champion believes the potential downside of such a matchup outweighs the benefits, particularly as he looks to remain in contention for another title opportunity.
“But if I were to lose (it) puts me down a heck of a lot more spots than I probably should be,” Sterling said. “I think my days of just taking random fights (are) kind of past me at this point. I'm fighting for legacy, I'm fighting for history.”
