Aljamain Sterling recently named Brian Ortega over Movsar Evloev as his next opponent, a decision that prompted the Russian’s call-up.
Sterling earned a lopsided unanimous decision victory over Calvin Kattar in his featherweight debut at UFC 300. The former bantamweight champion then criticized Ortega.
Sterling considered the technical elements of a possible match, both of which he said would be a “grappler’s delight.” Sterling praised Ortega’s aggressive guard, which always leads to intense grappling exchanges. Sterling also praised Evloev’s wrestling, but he believes he can “easily” compete with the Russian’s ground fighting. “The Funk Master” also claims that despite his poor form, Evloev was doing well in grappling with some of the players he trained with.
“Both of these matches are a joy for grapplers,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “If I fight Ortega, if you take him down, he won’t go on his back. He’s looking for a triangle, he’s looking for an armbar from the back, he’s looking for a kimura. , he’s looking for an up-and-over sweep, he’s looking for a jump guillotine, he’s doing it all. Flying Triangle, he’s doing it all.
“Movsar Evloev pretty much just grapples and you get to their famous Dagestan position, where they get behind you and you lock hands and you kind of hang out there,” Sterling said. added. “But if they use your legs as a sling and start hitting you, they’ll take advantage of that and grind you down until you’re nothing. It’s a very tough matchup for both of them. I think I could easily compete with Evloev. I don’t think his wrestling is any different from mine. I don’t know if he has a background in judo or sambo. Hmm. That could probably add a little wrinkle to the game. But some of the guys he’s wrestled with, I’ve wrestled with them too, even when they weren’t doing well. That’s my honest assessment. It’s going to be a head-to-head showdown of who gets the takedown first – “Look, one of us doesn’t get too much of a grapple. You might end up saying, “I don’t want to use the energy” – perhaps Evloev and end up standing up. ”
Sterling claims he is intrigued by both matchups, but the former bantamweight champion would prefer the higher-ranked Ortega to gain relevance in a featherweight title fight.
“There are so many possibilities on the grappling side of things and that’s what I like about both of these matches. If you ask me which match I would like to have, I would say Brian Ortega. is a top-ranked guy who isn’t named Max Holloway or Alexander Volkanovski. I think if we beat him, we’ll automatically be in a position to compete for the title.”
Sterling’s comments prompted Evloev’s remarks.
“[Aljamain Sterling], it is brave of you to speak about me,” Evloev wrote. “I like it! Call the UFC and fight me. I’m ready.”
@funkmasterMMA
It’s brave of you to talk about me. I like that! Call the UFC and fight me. I’m ready.
— Movsar Evloev (@MovsarUFC)
April 21, 2024
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