Aljamain Sterling Got One Hour to Accept UFC Qatar Fight, Turned Down Aaron Pico
Sterling accepted Kevin Vallejos for UFC Qatar after the UFC gave him 60 minutes to decide, but he passed on fighting Aaron Pico first.
Aljamain Sterling is heading to Qatar, but the booking almost did not happen. The former UFC bantamweight champion revealed he was given a one-hour ultimatum to accept a featherweight bout against Kevin Vallejos at UFC Qatar on November 21.
Sterling said the call came while he was mid-training session, leaving him no time to consult his team before making the decision. He took the fight anyway.
Before Vallejos, the UFC offered Sterling a bout against Aaron Pico at UFC 333. Sterling turned it down without hesitation. "What does that fight do for me?" Sterling told media, per Yardbarker. "The guy is 1-1. Vallejos makes way more sense."
Sterling acknowledged that some fans would accuse him of ducking Pico and his wrestling pedigree but dismissed that notion, calling himself the division's superior wrestler. For a former champion trying to work his way back to a title shot, fighting a 1-1 prospect is a dead end.
Vallejos, meanwhile, is unbeaten and coming off a knockout of former title contender Josh Emmett. That win put Vallejos on the map, and beating a former champion in Sterling would make him a legitimate contender.
Sterling carries a two-fight winning streak at featherweight after a unanimous decision over Youssef Zalal. The winner in Qatar moves significantly closer to a title shot.
Sterling made the right call on both counts. Fighting a 1-1 guy when you are a former champion trying to get back to a belt is a waste of time, no matter who his dad trained or how good his wrestling is. Pico does nothing for Sterling's ranking. Vallejos does.
The one-hour deadline is wild, though. The UFC does this to fighters constantly, and it is a power move, plain and simple. You either take the fight on their terms or they move on. Sterling took it because he knows the game.
This is a dangerous fight for both guys. Vallejos hits hard and Sterling has looked solid at 145, but he is giving up some size and power in this matchup. If Sterling wins in Qatar, he has a real case for a title shot. If he loses, the featherweight experiment might be over.
