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Aljamain Sterling has reacted to former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull's claims that the American had previously turned down welcoming the Brazilian to the UFC.
Pitbull's move to the UFC was announced earlier this week. He is scheduled to make his promotional debut at UFC 314 against former interim UFC featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez. As per Pitbull, former UFC bantamweight kingpin Sterling ducked him, while Rodriguez also turned the fight down until the UFC intervened to finalize it.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Pitbull alleged that Sterling had shown interest in fighting him but later backed off. He said:
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"All of a sudden, they asked if I would fight [Aljamain] Sterling in March. I said I’m in, but he ran."
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Check out Patricio Pitbull's comments below:
A fan on X, reacting to Pitbull’s recent comments, resonated with Sterling, stating that 'Funk Master' deserves to face a ranked opponent in his next bout. Sterling replied to the fan, stating that he had agreed to fight the Brazilian in April and wasn't willing to take short-notice fights at this stage of his career.
"Knock me for what? I agreed to fight Pitbull in April. As I’ve been away and also while handling personal matters. I cant take short notice fights where I’m clearly not ready anymore."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below:
Patricio Pitbull issues a warning to UFC featherweights
Patricio Pitbull will make his UFC debut against No.5-ranked Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314 in Miami in April. After the promotion announced the bout list for the pay-per-view, Pitbull issued a chilling statement to UFC featherweights, referring to himself as their "future king."
"It’s time to conquer a new crown. @ufc featherweights, your future king has arrived!"
Check out Patricio Pitbull's comments below:
The 37-year-old has a pro MMA record of 36-7. He previously competed in Bellator MMA, where he secured the promotion's featherweight strap three times and notably beat UFC fan favorite Michael Chandler for the lightweight title.
