Aljamain Sterling’s night at UFC 310 didn’t go as planned, and fans are letting him hear about it. The former champion, who voiced frustration before the event about being placed on the prelims instead of the main card, suffered a unanimous decision loss to Movsar Evloev in what turned out to be a grappling-heavy contest.
The fight showcased both men’s technical prowess on the mat, but it was Evloev who consistently outmaneuvered Sterling, securing the victory with a dominant performance. For Sterling, who has built his reputation on his grappling skills, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow. And for fans, it added fuel to the fire of their criticism.
One fan berated Aljamain Sterling for his performance, “This is why someone like Sterling is on the prelims instead of the main card. Boring as f*ck in every single aspect of MMA”. According to this fan, the former champ should never be on the main card ever- “Aljamain Sterling should never leave the prelims for the rest of his career.”
However, there’s a former two-division champion who thinks ‘Funk Master‘ should have come away with the win.
Cejudo feels Sterling was robbed
In a twist few saw coming, Henry Cejudo, one of Sterling’s fiercest rivals, publicly defended the former champion after his loss to Evloev at UFC 310.
Aljamain Sterling won that fight! #UFC310
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) December 8, 2024
The two have shared a contentious history, with their feud peaking during their UFC title fight, which Sterling won via a controversial decision.
Normally, Cejudo’s opinions get a lot of vitriol online but this time, surprisingly, people actually agree with Triple C.
Aljamain Sterling SHOULD HAVE gotten the win tonight. At bare minimum it should’ve been a draw. No one takes down Evloev almost SEVEN times let alone do this:#UFC310 #sports #danawhite
pic.twitter.com/bk7NiXkyNh— Boujee (@2GBoujee) December 8, 2024
Another fan claimed that Sterling should have won the battle and said, “The UFC hates aljamain sterling. This shit is ridiculous. The most disrespected champ of all time“.
However, Sterling isn’t that bothered. The former champion was just happy to have been in a grappling battle for the ages.
Tough fight…I thought I might’ve edged it out against a tough opponent, but we came up short. Thank you all for the love and support and I hope the performance was a fun one for you all to watch. Movsar is a beast, I showed where I belong in this division. For now, we decompress… pic.twitter.com/IGp82u9hPb
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) December 8, 2024
Sterling and Evloev also shed their rivalry after the fight and seemed to meet up for a wholesome conversation.
Aljamain Sterling and Evloev talking about their fight backstage at #UFC310 is wholesome AF pic.twitter.com/rAs9C1c213
— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) December 8, 2024
Regardless of what fans might say, this was one heck of a fight. Hopefully, in the days to come, the UFC will do more to promote grapplers and help change the perception of what makes a ‘boring’ fight.
