Aljamain Sterling turns his attention to Calvin Kattar after Max Holloway fight fizzles out: “I just think he has bigger opportunities”

By Harry Kettle - December 8, 2023

Aljamain Sterling has called for a fight against Calvin Kattar after plans for a bout with Max Holloway seemingly fell through.

Aljamain Sterling and Calvin Kattar

Ever since his loss to Sean O’Malley earlier this year, Aljamain Sterling has been looking for fresh opportunities. At the top of that list, seemingly, is a move to featherweight.

Many believe it’s been a long time coming for him to make such a transition. Either way, there’s a lot of intrigue in the air when it comes to his immediate future in the spot.

RELATED: ALJAMAIN STERLING AIMS TO RETURN AT UFC 299, HINTS AT MAX HOLLOWAY FIGHT

At one point, it seemed as if ‘Funk Master’ would be lining up opposite Max Holloway. However, as per the man himself, that’s no longer the case – and he has a new target.

Sterling eyes Kattar

“I think I got a little bit of clarity today,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “I spoke with my manager, my fiance, and we kind of went over some things and scenarios. One of the things we realized is maybe the Max fight isn’t gonna come to fruition. At this point, I just think he has bigger opportunities in the sense of whether or not he’s going up a weight class or the opportunity of if he were to wait to see what happens between [Ilia] Topuria and ‘Volk’ [Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February 2024]. It can completely open up a brand new door for him to go back to sitting on the throne.

“So, I guess you kinda gotta play chess at this point in both of our careers, and I would just imagine this fight doesn’t make a ton of sense to him right now,” he continued. “But whoever I do fight next in the 145-pound division, it might be Calvin Kattar. If you guys want to get a message out for me, respectfully. I don’t know, Calvin, we could do this, see when your knee is ready to go and much respect to you guys and your team. I think March or April would be cool. UFC 300 or maybe we could jump on that Miami card in March.”

Quotes via MMA Mania

Who do you want to see Aljamain Sterling fight next? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!


Topics:

Aljamain Sterling Calvin Kattar Max Holloway UFC