"Small pivot" - Aljamain Sterling wants to face top-10 ranked featherweight contender next before fighting Max Holloway 

Aljamain Sterling has put a potential featherweight bout against Max Holloway on hold, instead calling for a clash against Calvin Kattar instead.

Sterling last stepped into the octagon back in August, losing his bantamweight title to Sean O'Malley after being caught by a huge right hand in the second round. Prior to the bout, 'Funk Master' had been vocal about his desire to step up a division and become a two-weight champion.

Despite coming up short on the night, the New York native has still expressed an interest in a move up to featherweight, originally calling for his debut in the division to be against Holloway.

Now, however, it appears as though Aljamain Sterling has set his sights on the No.7 ranked Calvin Kattar. Speaking in a clip on his Instagram, the 34-year-old stated that 'Blessed' has bigger opportunities, so he'd rather face somebody like Kattar in the meantime. He said:

"Whoever I do fight next in the 145 pound division, I'd say it might be Calvin Kattar. I don't know Calvin...but I think March or April would be cool, UFC 300 or we could jump on that Miami card in March."

Sterling captioned the post:

"Small pivot. Respectfully, I’m asking for the always game Calvin Kattar in March. East Coast boys 💯"

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Alexander Volkanovski says Aljamain Sterling only needs one win at featherweight to earn a title shot

Alexander Volkanovski recently expressed an interest in defending his title against Aljamain Sterling, providing 'Funk Master' can pick up a win in the division first.

Volkanovski appeared on The MMA Hour this week and was asked about the possibility of facing Sterling. 'The Great' then praised the former bantamweight champ for the path he's created for himself, admitting they're likely only one fight away from facing one another. 'Volk' said:

"I mean look, he's [Aljamain Sterling] a good fighter. I can see what he's doing. He knows; he's like, alright, I'm not gonna get a title fight any time soon. Look he takes out Max, he's next. It's that simple and he knows that. Good on him, he's game. He knows that the clear path to that title, I'm not getting that now."

He continued:

"I lost my title. There's no way I'm getting on for champ-champ right now. But if I fight, I can be one fight away from a title if I take out Max. I'm sure he knows it's a tough fight. But he just looks at it, that's how I get to the title. Good on him. You got to respect that."

Catch Volkanovski's comments here: