UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling finds himself at odds with Dana White, regarding the highly anticipated UFC 292 event scheduled for August 19th, 2023, in Boston.
Sterling was set to face Sean O’Malley, however, his recent revelation about needing time to recover from some injury niggles has created uncertainty, despite White’s insistence.
“Aljo’s one of those guys that just can’t get out of his own way,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “Apparently, he’s in for the fight. Why he said that, who knows? The fight is on. The fight is absolutely, positively on,” White
With that being said, Sterling voiced his deep-seated concerns over the respect he feels he rightfully deserves from none other than Dana White and the UFC.
“If you want me to be the bad guy, tell me behind closed doors, behind the scenes, ‘Aljo, this is what we’re going to do. This is the script. Here it is.
“This is what we see. This is what the fans are picking up on you. Why don’t we just take this and turn the volume up and accelerate the noise and make this as crazy as possible. I’m with it. You guys know I like to play a character. I’ll be him.
“Let me be the character, but get me in on the joke. Let’s get on the joke together, but not when you’re going to keep doing this stuff and then making me look like I’m a b*tch. No, you’re not going to keep doing that, dog. F*ck out of here. Dana, get out of here with that,” Sterling said.
Despite being the case, Sterling is keen on competing even if White has ruffled a few feathers.
“Every single time they’ve asked me to fight, I’ve saddled up, put my nuts on the table, and showed up every single time. And I won.
“It’s just like, at what point do I get credit from the UFC and Uncle Dana? Dana is super nice behind closed doors, but then he tells me I can’t get out of my own way. I’m like, ‘What does that even mean?’ Just clarify what that means.”
“I’m not asking for much. … Stop playing with my name, bro. If we’re going to do this together, let’s get on the same page. Let’s do this sh*t the right way,” Sterling
Getting the recognition will be key, as White will be hoping to avoid another repeat of a Francis Ngannou moment, as the latter was vocal about not being respected in the UFC. So watch this space.