Aljamain Sterling is setting the record straight on his upcoming bout against TJ Dillashaw.
Aljamain Sterling is looking forward to his next title defense. Word has been spreading that he will be taking on TJ Dillashaw at the upcoming UFC 280 event in Abu Dhabi, but according to Sterling, that fight is not official just yet.
Dillashaw is on the come-up since returning from suspension back in July of last year. In his return fight, he defeated Cory Sandhagen and was rocket as the frontrunner for title contention. He has not fought in a year and spent that time recovering from injury.
Now he is back and ready to take on Sterling for the title that he held back in 2017. It seems as if both parties are willing and able to make the proposed date of October 22, but there is still a hold up according to Sterling.
Aljamain Sterling Explains That He Is Still Waiting On Proper Compensation For The Dillashaw Bout
“I just want to make sure that the message gets out there, like I’m looking forward to fighting TJ,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “I will go fight TJ in a parking lot. I don’t give a sh-t. As long as there’s some type of prize money available. Big prize money. I’ll fight him wherever we could go fight in freaking Alaska for all I care as long as the money is right.
“And again, I’m not asking for anything outlandish. I never even put a price out there. But people could tell me that I don’t deserve what I think I should be asking for, that I shouldn’t feel compelled to ask for anything based on my numbers.”
The bout was originally rumored for UFC 279 but when the switch came to UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, many thought it was a done deal. That is not the case at this time. Sterling explains that the date and location are all great but the need for more money is the thing that is holding it up.
“Either way, I’m just super excited for the opportunity to fight across seas and out of the country has been something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “Hopefully we could do a UFC, Jamaica at some point. And yeah, we’ll see what happens. This is a very big opportunity. Again, nothing’s official. This is something that’s just been talked about. I’ve been tagged and stuff already, which always seems to happen.”
UFC 280 is set to be headlined by a lightweight title bout between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. This bantamweight title fight between Sterling and Dillashaw would serve as the co-main event.
Are you looking forward to a bantamweight title fight between Sterling and Dillashaw?