UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski is open to giving Aljamain Sterling a title shot if he can defeat Max Holloway.
‘The Great’ is set to return at UFC 298 against Ilia Topuria next February, marking Volkanovski’s first fight since his loss to Islam Makhachev, while welcoming former champion Aljamain Sterling to the division. Sterling, coming off a defeat to Sean O’Malley, is making the move up in weight class after initially hoping for a rematch with Marlon Vera following his loss. Now, eyes are on a potential fight with Max Holloway, which Volkanovski confirmed would earn Sterling a title shot if he’s victorious.
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“Look man he’s a good fighter,” Alexander Volkanovski shared when asked about Aljamain Sterling’s upcoming move to featherweight in 2024. “I can see what he’s doing. He knows that he’s like, alright, I won’t get a title fight anytime soon. But look, he takes out Max [Holloway], he’s next [for a title shot]. It’s that simple.”
He continued, “He knows that, and good on him. He’s game, you know what I mean? He knows the clear path to that title. He knows ‘I’m not getting it now, no way I’m going for champ-champ right now, but if I fight, I can be one fight away from a title if I take out Max.’ I’m sure he knows that it’s a tough fight.”
Alexander Volkanovski concluded, “But he just looks at it ‘That’s how I get to the title’. Good on him, you have to respect that.”
While Volkanovski and Sterling seem in favor of the potential match, Max Holloway is reportedly eyeing a move to lightweight to fight ‘BMF’ titleholder Justin Gaethje. However, if the stars don’t align for that matchup, he might have Sterling waiting for him at featherweight with potential to fight on UFC 300 in April.
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