Aljamain Sterling Rejects Fight Offer, Sidelined from UFC 333

Aljamain Sterling will not participate in UFC 333 after declining a fight offer against an opponent ranked outside the featherweight top ten.

Ranked fourth in the division, Sterling announced on his YouTube podcast that he rejected the matchup, which resulted in his removal from the October event. UFC 333 will feature champion Alexander Volkanovski facing Movsar Evloev, with Arnold Allen taking on Aaron Pico on the undercard.

The former bantamweight champion expressed a preference for a fight against Allen, stating that competing against lower-ranked fighters does not benefit him at this stage of his career. He noted that a win would not improve his ranking, while a loss could have serious consequences. Sterling has a record of 3-1 since moving up to featherweight, with his last fight being a victory over Youssef Zalal in April. He mentioned that the UFC did not provide any incentives for accepting the unranked fight and that fighters who decline offers are often sidelined for four to six months.