Aljamain Sterling takes a moment against Takeya Mizugaki before their bantamweight bout during a UFC Fight Night event (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)
Alexander Volkanovski easily defeated Max Holloway to remain the UFC Featherweight Champion
Many had predicted Max Holloway to be a tough opponent for Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 276.
This was the third fight in their rivalry and Volkanovski was 2-0 up. However, Holloway was close to winning the title in their rematch and seemed like the man who could take the Aussie down.
Volkanovski, the UFC Featherweight Champion, is undefeated in his UFC career and put on a display at UFC 276.
Holloway was nowhere close to getting the upper hand on the champion. It was a unanimous decision win and Volkanovski cemented his place as the #2 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.
The fight was a stand-and-bang affair with Volkanovski dominating his opponent. However, UFC Bantamweight Champion, Aljamain Sterling brought up his wrestling pedigree and claimed he could defeat the Australian via submission.
Sterling does have a background in wrestling and is a two-time NCAA Division III All-American. He has also defeated Petr Yan at UFC 273. This came after his controversial title win at UFC 259 where he was handed the belt after Yan’s disqualification.
There are some who question Sterling’s abilities, especially the title win. Yan came close to winning the title in their rematch but lost via split decision.
There is no doubting Sterling’s ability but suggesting that he could submit Volkanovski is something big.
The Australian has beaten the likes of Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung and Jose Aldo too, and well, many fans didn’t believe Sterling’s words.
First of all, Sterling or Volkanovski would have to move up or down a division if they were to meet. However, many fans believed that Sterling would be soundly beaten by the Featherweight Champion.
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