Ali Akbar RosadyThe Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has ignited a significant debate within the mixed martial arts community following its Thanksgiving announcement of upcoming title bouts, particularly the featherweight championship rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes slated for UFC 325 in February. This decision has drawn widespread criticism, notably from former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who has openly questioned the rationale behind the matchup, emphasizing a perceived departure from traditional merit-based matchmaking.
According to the announcement, Volkanovski, who had reportedly just defeated Lopes in April to claim the vacant featherweight title with a clear decision victory, is now scheduled to face him again without having competed since their initial encounter. This scenario immediately prompted backlash from fans and fellow fighters alike, who highlighted that contenders such as Lerone Murphy, Movsar Evloev, and Sterling himself appeared to hold stronger claims to a title opportunity based on their recent performances and divisional rankings.
Aljamain Sterling, speaking on his YouTube channel, articulated his profound confusion regarding the booking. "He’s getting the next shot. Again!" Sterling exclaimed, referring to Lopes. "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." Sterling underscored that had the initial contest been a close affair, a rematch might be justifiable. However, he characterized Volkanovski’s victory as "pretty much a masterclass on one side," making a swift rematch seem illogical from a sporting perspective.
The recent competitive trajectory of Diego Lopes has been a point of discussion. Sterling acknowledged Lopes’s recent victory, stating, "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." While recognizing the significance of this win, Sterling questioned its weight in meriting an immediate title rematch, especially given the perceived one-sided nature of Lopes’s prior encounter with Volkanovski. "It’s a big win. I get that," Sterling conceded, "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."
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The sentiment of bewilderment is not exclusive to Sterling. Reports indicate that even Alexander Volkanovski and his team expressed surprise at the rematch announcement. Volkanovski’s camp had reportedly been lobbying for fights against other top contenders, suggesting that the UFC’s decision deviated from their preferred opponent selection. This adds another layer to the controversy, indicating that the choice for the rematch may not have been universally anticipated, even by the reigning champion.
Sterling, who recently made a successful featherweight debut with a dominant win over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 in April 2024, after losing his bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley, has a vested interest in the featherweight title picture. His professional record stands at 24-4, with his move to featherweight positioning him as a new contender in the division. His extensive experience, having started his career at 24 and now being 36, informs his perspective on the sport’s evolving dynamics.
Delving into what he believes is the underlying rationale for the UFC’s matchmaking, Sterling offered a hypothesis rooted in commercial strategy. "I get what they’re trying to do," Sterling remarked. "They’re trying to get us a champion that can represent Mexico, and pretty much Brazil, too." This statement alludes to the UFC’s strategic emphasis on expanding its global market reach, particularly in Latin America, where fighters with strong national ties often garner significant fanbases and drive pay-per-view sales. Diego Lopes, a Brazilian fighter, fits this demographic, suggesting that marketability may have played a substantial role in the decision-making process.
Sterling’s core frustration, however, revolves around the lack of transparent criteria for title contention. "What is the criteria? That is all I want to know," he stated emphatically. He contrasted the perceived current state of the UFC with its historical ethos, lamenting a shift away from a meritocracy. "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."
He elaborated on this perceived change, suggesting that popularity now eclipses pure athletic achievement in securing prime opportunities. "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.’"
From an athlete’s perspective, Sterling acknowledged the business imperatives but found them at odds with the competitive spirit instilled in fighters. "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?" This rhetorical question encapsulates the frustration of fighters who dedicate their careers to ascending the ranks through performance, only to see opportunities seemingly allocated based on non-sporting factors.
The considerable backlash from the MMA community regarding this rematch underscores Sterling’s sentiments. Many fans have echoed concerns about the integrity of the ranking system and the fairness of title shot allocations. Sterling, addressing those who might side with the UFC’s decision, offered a pointed analogy. "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."
He concluded his remarks by directly referencing common phrases used by UFC CEO Dana White, turning them into a critique of the current situation. "’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 fcking boxing. This shit is turning into fing boxing, and you’re seeing it right now." This stark comparison to boxing, a sport frequently criticized for prioritizing lucrative matchups over strict athletic progression, highlights Sterling’s concern that the UFC may be drifting away from its foundational principles of competitive meritocracy.
The featherweight division remains one of the UFC’s most competitive weight classes. Other top contenders, such as Movsar Evloev (18-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who holds an undefeated professional record and a perfect UFC run, and Lerone Murphy (13-0-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC), who is also undefeated in his last 14 fights, including five wins and one draw in the UFC, present strong cases for title contention based purely on their unblemished or near-unblemished records and consistent victories over ranked opponents. The decision to grant Lopes an immediate rematch over these established and surging contenders will undoubtedly remain a focal point of discussion leading up to UFC 325.
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