The UFC’s final pay-per-view event of the year, UFC 310, is just days away, and the stacked card is one of the ages. With so many high-profile matchups, some fights had to be bumped to the prelims—but one decision has left many scratching their heads. Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, a fighter who was headlining cards not long ago, finds himself on the prelims against Movsar Evloev.
This move hasn’t gone unnoticed, especially by fellow UFC star Renato Moicano, who voiced his shock at what he sees as a “level of disrespect” towards Sterling.
It’s crazy sterling vs evloev is in the prelims… the level of DISHESPECT!!! #ufc310
— Renato Moicano (@moicanoufc) December 2, 2024
When a fan replied to his tweet saying that Sterling is not a main card caliber fighter, Moicano hit back by asking him not be a hater.
Don’t be a hater he’s former champ
— Renato Moicano (@moicanoufc) December 2, 2024“
But this didn’t stop fans from piling on. This man criticized Sterling’s fighting style and said, “Because it’s going to be a boring cuddle fest for 15 minutes“. Another fan was way too harsh in his assessment of the situation and joked, “I think it’s nice of the ufc to give us 25 minutes including adverts to have a shit break and get some snacks prepared in the middle of the card“.
This isn’t the first time Aljamain Sterling has found himself in this kind of situation. Back in the day, despite an impressive record of 10 wins in his first 13 UFC fights, Sterling often found himself relegated to prelims rather than main cards.
It wasn’t until the bantamweight title win in 2021 that he began headlining events. As champion, Sterling main-evented UFC 288 against Henry Cejudo and UFC 292 against Sean O’Malley, proving his star power in marquee matchups.
Yet, even with those accomplishments, it seems the struggle for main card recognition isn’t entirely behind him.
Sterling believes the UFC messed up big-time
This Saturday at UFC 310, Sterling faces undefeated featherweight contender Movsar Evloev at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
While he is focused on the fight, Sterling remains perplexed by being out of the main card, especially since he moved up to 145 pounds and secured an impressive win over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300.
However, he’s choosing to see the upside, noting that fighting earlier means wrapping up sooner and enjoying his night post-victory. Still, Sterling believes the UFC is underestimating the significance of his fight, promising to prove them wrong with a performance that reminds everyone he’s main card material.
