Aljamain Sterling reacts to Diego Lopes getting another title shot: ‘What is the criteria?’

It’s safe to say that some fighters are not happy with the recent trend of title fights in the UFC.

On Thanksgiving, UFC CEO announced a slew of upcoming title fights, the most controversial of which was that Alexander Volkanovski will defend his featherweight title in a rematch with Diego Lopes at UFC 325 in February. The matchup immediately drew criticism from fans as Volkanovski just defeated Lopes in April to claim the vacant title, winning a clear decision. Given that, contenders like Lerone Murphy, Movsar Evloev, and Aljamain Sterling all appeared to be closer to a title shot than Lopes, and after the announcement, Sterling still doesn’t get it.

“He’s getting the next shot. Again!” Lopes said on his YouTube channel. “He’s being allowed to get a rematch with Volkanovski, a guy who just beat him in his last fight. Volk hasn’t fought since then. …

“I’m not mad at it for Diego Lopes. Dude, if you get an opportunity to fight for gold again, in a matchup where if you can land that big punch, which he was able to clip Volk in the first fight, but for the most part, it was pretty much a masterclass on one side. So that’s my point: if it was a close fight, I could get it. But you just lost. You did beat a guy who I don’t think was ranked Top 10. That’s no knock on Jean. Everybody knows who Jean Silva is. That guy is a dog [barking noises].

“It’s a big win. I get that. But he just fought the champ, lost to the champ in what was pretty one-sided, he gets a big win over a very, very popular dude who might have catapulted and leapfrogged everybody had he beaten Diego Lopes, the guy who just fought for the title. I’m just trying to make it make sense in my head.”

To be fair, Sterling isn’t the only one confused. Volkanovski and his team have admitted they didn’t see this rematch coming, and had previously lobbied to fight several of the other contenders, though that’s obviously not what the UFC opted for. And for Sterling, he thinks the reasoning is obvious.

“I get what they’re trying to do,” Sterling said. “They’re trying to get us a champion that can represent Mexico, and pretty much Brazil, too. It’s just, what is the criteria? That is all I want to know. I just want something that, when we come into this sport — I’m now 36. I came into this sport when I was 24, and merit used to mean something for the most part. The UFC used to be the organization [where] the best fight the best.

“Now it’s, ‘Are you the most popular guy? Because if you’re the most popular guy and you can fight just a little bit, we’ll throw you in there. As long as you can fight a little bit and beat some of the best guys, or beat some favorable matchups that people might know, but it’s enough for you to get a highlight win, we’ll put you in that spot. And hopefully, if you’re lucky, we’ll cash out.’

“I get the business model of it, but as the athlete … it doesn’t make any sense. Because we come in, we are told the best guys will fight the best guys. ‘You eat what you kill.’ Well, how can you kill something if you’re not given the opportunity? How can you kill something if every time the opportunity is there, it’s given to someone else?”

Plenty of fans agree with Sterling. There’s been considerable backlash from the MMA community about this rematch. And for those who don’t, Sterling has a simple message, employing some of UFC CEO Dana White’s oft-used phrases.

“If the fans are siding with the UFC on this, you’re basically siding with the option that merit doesn’t mean anything. That’s like saying the NBA teams, the Golden State Warriors, because they have Steph Curry and all these other big names, that they should always go to the finals and get a chance to play for gold, because they’re the team favorites. Doesn’t matter if they lost. Bro, make it make sense, is all I’m trying to ask. So we know what we at least need to do. …

“‘The best fight the best’ — I’m using the words from the boss. ‘We make the fights the fans want to see. This is not boxing.’ Guys, this shit is turning into f*cking boxing. This shit is turning into f*ing boxing, and you’re seeing it right now.”