Aljamain Sterling knows his limits.
The former UFC bantamweight champion and current featherweight contender used his podcast to address a rumor that he was in talks to fight Jean Silva at Noche UFC on Sept. 12. Silva was originally scheduled to face Yair Rodriguez in the headlining bout of the card, but Rodriguez withdrew due to injury and was promptly replaced by Jose Miguel Delgado.
According to Sterling, had the matchmakers come to him with the Noche UFC main event offer, he would have had a very good reason to say.
“If I was offered Jean Silva, I would have looked them straight in the eyes and said, ‘You know what? I will absolutely not take that f*cking fight,’” Sterling said.
“If I were to go in the shape that I’m in right now, it’s definitely not,” he added. “Because I would be on the ground wheezing for air, and I am not afraid to admit it. I just got back from Serbia and Albania, you think I’m freaking in fight shape ready to do five rounds on short notice? Hell no. Give me a training camp.”
Sterling suggested he might have considered a three-round bout on short notice, especially if it came with a substantial payday, but he’d be more open to fighting Silva at a later date. Given that Silva is currently in the thick of the featherweight contender conversation, Sterling thinks a fight with him makes more sense than some of the other options in the top 10.
“No, I never got offered to fight,” Sterling said. “I would rather have taken a full camp. If they were to say we’d move Jean Silva to another date with you, then I’ll take the fight. It would make sense. It’s more appealing than a guy who was ranked 13 and they just magically bumped him up to 12.
“Again, if [Aaron] Pico beats Arnold Allen, then I’ll fight the winner. I’ll fight Pico. If Arnold Allen wins, I’d rather fight Arnold Allen, someone with an established name and he’s coming off another win. So that’s a fight I can wake up in the morning for and get excited.”
Pico fights Allen at UFC 333 on Oct. 24. The former Bellator star has also been a rumored opponent for Sterling, but Sterling doesn’t currently see the upside in taking on a fighter with a 1-1 UFC record.
Rather, Sterling has been biding his time with side projects as he gears up for his next fight, one that he hopes has higher stakes than a short-notice call.
“I’m just the guy stuck in limbo and hopefully the pieces, knock on wood, they fall into place,” Sterling said. “All I could do is do my part, get into shape, so if the opportunity does present itself, I’ll be ready. But right now giving me a short-notice fight on two weeks’ notice would just be asinine, especially for me, I’ve been partying and pushing my rum company, because that’s what I’ve got to do in the downtime. But now that’s on pause. We’re still pushing the company, but I took a step back from being the lead and running point at all the activations and stuff, so now we’re in fight mode.
“We’re ready to go, getting into shape, and sure enough, give me two more weeks, I’ll be able to bang out three rounds, easy. Then give me two more weeks after that and I’ll be in five-round shape.”
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