Welp, no return for the Funk Master until mid 2023 as he said in an interview today speaking with interviewer Nolan King from MMA Junkie.
The Bantamweight champ has no plans to return to Australia in February for UFC 284 against Henry Cejudo just 4 months after beating T.J. Dillishaw via TKO in the 2nd round.
Sterling and Cejudo have been going back-and-forth cordially for some time now. But Cejudo, who was “retired“, and oddly calling for fights the whole time while he was out of the USADA testing pool needed to re-enter.
He did just that on April 11th, re-entering, which takes about 6 months of testing to be allowed to compete after being taken out, or taking yourself out of it.
Strangely, UFC President Dana White, who has not seemingly had the best relationship with Cejudo, and someone who “does not like to make fights the night of the fight” offered Cejudo, when asked his opinion about the next contender in the bantamweight division post UFC 280, stating, “What about Henry Cejudo? You like that? That work?”
Dana further elaborated in another question, “You know Henry’s been out there, talking, and he wants to come back and he wants to, you know…And uhh, I think- how longs he been back in the USADA pool? Anybody know? How long he’s been back? 6 months? So yeah, you know, he could fight. So maybe you do him and Aljamain Sterling next. Again, everybody gonna write that I said that that’s the next fight. Thats whats gonna be written, But Im just sayin that is a good fight for him”.
As this could possibly be the biggest fight for Aljamain, he has 0 interest in it. He does not think that Cejudo is a money fight. Saying” I want the biggest fight cause I get PPV points, the moment I lose the belt I don’t get PPV points. So I want the biggest fight. And if its Cejudo I gladly oblige, and I don’t think it’s him, I really don’t. I even feel like people would be more excited to see me fight Chito (Marlon Vera) over Cejudo“.
Sterling reckoned that Sean O’Malley was the biggest draw in the division at the moment and Cejudo is only for “diehards” he feels because of his [Cejudo] credentials. And says Henry Cejudo can “kick rocks“.
Regardless of what everybody else wants, it is clear that Aljamain wants the biggest fight to secure his bag in the future.
Photos: @funkmastermma
MMA Loki news room staff
