Aljamain Sterling has a clear vision for the featherweight title picture — and it runs through him and Jean Silva in December.
“Heal up, let's run this for December, and we do this and see who's the clear-cut No. 1 contender.”
Hours after Silva submitted Jose Delgado in the third round of the Noche UFC 4 main event on September 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Sterling took to his YouTube channel to pitch a title eliminator with the Brazilian. Silva immediately scaled the cage to plead his case for the next title shot with UFC executive Hunter Campbell for the next title shot with UFC executive Hunter Campbell; Sterling has a different idea.
"Even if it's a Fight Night, I don't give a [expletive]," Sterling said. "December, run that [expletive]. Run that [expletive]. All I'm saying is, I want to give him the fair opportunity to heal, be ready, be the best version of himself, and I would love to have that fight."
The "Funk Master" knows Silva needs time. The Noche UFC win — Silva's second straight finish, coming via a one-arm rear-naked choke at 2:57 of round three after Delgado dropped him with a massive right hand in the opener — was a war. Sterling pointed to UFC 335 on December 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the promotion's final numbered event of 2026, as the landing spot.
Sterling, 37, has quietly built a strong featherweight resume: he's 3-1 since moving up to 145, with decision wins over Calvin Kattar, Brian Ortega, and Youssef Zalal and his only loss a competitive Fight of the Night against Movsar Evloev in 2024. He also laid out the division's real problem — if Evloev beats champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 333 in October in Abu Dhabi, Ramadan will keep the new champion sidelined, and the title picture goes into a standstill.
"I'm gonna be fair; I'm gonna do the right thing and say, I want you at your best. Take the time, heal up, let's run this [expletive] for December, and we do this and see who's the clear-cut No. 1 contender," Sterling said. "Because if Evloev wins, you know he's not fighting any time soon. He's got Ramadan coming up. The division's gonna be in a standstill position, and nothing's gonna happen for a while."
Silva, who has won seven of his eight UFC appearances with his lone loss coming against Diego Lopes, has answered the callout with trash talk — but nothing formal yet. Nothing is signed. But Sterling's pitch is the most sensible path through a jammed-up division: two contenders, one cage, December, and the winner waiting for Volkanovski-Evloev to sort itself out.
