Aljamain Sterling is having concerns revolving around the principle of equal treatment in the UFC’s matchmaking decisions. He is questioning why he isn’t receiving the same consideration for a title rematch as other fighters.
Nevertheless, Dana White is not interested in granting an immediate rematch to the former champion. He even went further to push Sterling to move up in weight to featherweight. White is more apprehensive of Sterling due to his friendship with Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili is the 2nd ranked bantamweight who won’t fight ‘Funkmaster’ due to friendship.
Dana White remains aloof to Aljamain Sterling’s interest in rematch
Aljamain Sterling’s defeat to Sean O’Malley in Boston paved the way for O’Malley to call for a rematch with Marlon Vera in December as his first title defense. ‘Funkmaster’ believes that this opportunity should have fallen to him as a long-reigning champion.
Dana White remains aloof of Sterling rematching O’Malley, despite his impressive credentials. Sterling finds himself bewildered particularly when compared to the situation of former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Israel Adesanya recently experienced his second title loss, surrendering his middleweight championship to Sean Strickland.
UFC CEO, Dana White has hinted at Adesanya’s challenge for the title once more, a decision that has left Sterling perplexed in the aftermath of UFC 293. The former bantamweight champion is a vocal critic of the double standard within the UFC when it comes to granting title rematches.
Aljamain Sterling has taken to his YouTube channel to articulate his views. Sterling is not criticizing Adesanya but rather an inconsistency in the UFC’s approach to granting title rematches. Sterling firmly believes he deserves a fair opportunity at a rematch.
White open to Israel Adesanya’s quest to reclaim middleweight belt
Israel Adesanya lost his middleweight title for the second time in 3 fights. Adesanya clearly lost to Sean Strickland via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 293. In the aftermath of UFC 293, contenders are vying for a title shot against Strickland. Dricus Du Plessis and Jared Cannonier are at the forefront of it.
However, Dana White has expressed a strong interest in an immediate rematch between Strickland and Adesanya. However, not everyone is on the same page. At the forefront of the displeasure is Aljamain Sterling. The former bantamweight champion has been clamoring for a rematch with Sean O’Malley after the culmination of UFC 292. However, neither White nor the champion is not interested in it.
Moreover, Daniel Cormier, a former two-division champion and current UFC commentator is another fighter who believes that Adesanya should not be getting an immediate title shot. Furthermore, Dricus Du Plessis is adamant about being the next challenger. Du Plessis was the original opponent for the then-champion at UFC 293. Jared Cannonier, Khamzat Chimaev, and Paulo Costa are also vying for the next title shot at middleweight.
Who do you think deserves an immediate title rematch? Israel Adesanya or Aljamain Sterling?
