Aljamain Sterling shuts down Rafael Fiziev matchup talk in the aftermath of UFC 313: "Stay at 155"

Aljamain Sterling has shut down any chance of him facing Rafael Fiziev in the future, after 'Ataman' expressed an interest in moving down to the featherweight division.

Fiziev recently suffered his third straight loss in the octagon when he faced Justin Gaethje for a second time at UFC 313. The pair went the distance in a highly entertaining back-and-forth contest that saw Gaethje get the nod on the scorecards for the second time, as the pair were also awarded another Fight of the Night bonus for their efforts.

Despite the defeat, the 32-year-old received plaudits for his performance, as not only did he accept the fight on short notice but it also marked his first return to action since he suffered a significant knee injury in his bout against Mateusz Gamrot back in 2023.

Following the fight, Rafael Fiziev has remained in good spirits and appears ready to jump back in the octagon as soon as he can. He recently shared a picture of himself with UFC matchmaker Hunter Campbell, captioning the post:

"Good news coming soon."

Rafael Fiziev's story

Fiziev also appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show earlier this week, where he stated he is contemplating a move down to 145 pounds in order to get his career back on track. This led to fans speculating about potential match-ups, with one fan taking to X to express their interest in seeing Fiziev face-off against Aljamain Sterling.

Sterling, however, doesn't appear open to the fight and responded to the fan on social media. He wrote:

"I told his ass to stay at 155😂 We don't need that chaos at 145. Respectfully 🤣."

Check out Sterling's tweet below:

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Aljamain Sterling predicts Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes

Aljamain Sterling has backed Alexander Volkanovski to defeat Diego Lopes when the pair face off for the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314 next month.

Sterling has engaged in a back-and-forth with Lopes and his manager on social media over recent weeks, with 'Funk Master' arguing that Movsar Evloev, who has a win over Lopes, was more deserving of the title opportunity.

When asked about the upcoming 145-pound title bout in an interview with MMA Junkie, Sterling doubled down on his backing of Volkanovski and said:

"I think Volkanovski is going to put the beats on Lopes. I would have said that more respectfully had him and his manager not tried to attack me as if I said anything disrespectful to them... I truly do think Volk is going to put the beats on him. I’m going to give them the reason why Volk is going to whoop that a**. Volkanovski is coming with a vengeance. He is in phenomenal shape. What he does great vs. what Diego Lopes does great is not the same."

Catch Aljamain Sterling's comments below (41:57):