“Could’ve took Ilia’s spot,” Alexander Volkanovski ‘feels bad’ after Aljamain Sterling misses out on huge featherweight clash opportunity after UFC 292 loss

Alexander Volkanovski doesn't want to fight Aljamain Sterling next as the fighter doesn't deserve the title shot anymore after his recent loss

“Could’ve took Ilia’s spot,” Alexander Volkanovski ‘feels bad’ after Aljamain Sterling misses out on huge featherweight clash opportunity after UFC 292 loss

Alexander Volkanovski and Aljamain Sterling (Image Courtesy: MMA Fighing)

Alexander Volkanovski crosses out Aljamain Sterling for a potential next fight after the fighter lost his belt at UFC 292. Before the fight, Sterling stated his intention to move to the featherweight division to cut weight and help his teammate Merab Dvalishvili’s chances at a title shot.

If Sterling had won, it could have set up a champion vs. champion match between him and Volkanovski. However, O’Malley’s victory with a well-placed right hand and subsequent strikes dashed those hopes for a golden opportunity in the 145-pound division.

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Recently, Alexander Volkanovski mentioned on his YouTube channel that he’s disappointed in Sterling and doesn’t want to fight him next. “Gotta feel for ‘Aljo,’ man. I mean, what does he want to do? He’s definitely going to want that rematch. That’s a big, big fight. [Him vs. me] that’s not happening. You never know, if he would have had a big win he could have took Ilia [Topuria’s] spot but [he didn’t].”

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According to ‘The Great’, he was looking forward to fighting Aljo in a champion vs. champion megafight, but with current conditions, that won’t be possible. Nevertheless, fans remain hopeful that this dream fight may still materialize in the future, adding to the intrigue and suspense of the world of combat sports.

Related: “Congratulations p**sy” – Kevin Durant, Theo Von, Henry Cejudo, and other stars go wild as Sean O’Malley wipes out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292

Aljamain Sterling reacts to Alexander Volkanovski refusing to fight him after the title loss 

Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling

UFC 292 was a nightmare for corner champion Aljamain Sterling. At UFC 292, Sean O’Malley executed a remarkable countermove, leading to the dethronement of one of the most historically dominant bantamweight fighters. In the second round of the fight, ‘Funkmaster’ suffered a knockout, resulting in the loss of his championship title in what was initially planned as his final bout in the division.

After his defeat, Alexander Volkanovski stated that he wouldn’t grant Sterling a title opportunity if he decided to change weight classes. Sterling responded to it in his latest tweet, in which he wrote:

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“This all still feels like a bad, bad dream. Unfortunately, it’s not. This sport is really something…. I’m just gonna let it fuel me. I’ll be back .” 

Currently, the best plan for Sterling would be to recover and train in order to fight O’Malley in a rematch and win back the title. By doing this, he can finally make his move to the featherweight division. 

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