"They're not going to go down" - Aljamain Sterling measures himself up against Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez ahead of his featherweight debut

Aljamain Sterling is set to make the move to featherweight when he faces Calvin Kattar to open the UFC 300 main card. The former bantamweight champion recently shared his live reaction to the UFC Fight Night 237 co-main event, which saw Brian Ortega defeat Yair Rodriguez via third-round submission.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, 'Funk Master' discussed both featherweight contenders, stating:

"It's funny because I never looked at these guys as opponents... I definitely look at the wrestling aspect. I could exploit that. They're both tough. They're durable. You can hit them, but they're not going to go down. You've got to be smart. You've got to mix it up. Even if you get a takedown, they're going to be looking to get back up. Ortega throwing up submissions off of his back, Yair throwing up submissions and punches off of his back."

Sterling also discussed Ortega's improvements in his time away from the octagon, adding:

"Ortega making improvements in the wrestling department, controlling Yair... People were telling me this is a good fight for me. I'm like, 'I think so', but we also don't know how much better he's gotten with the downtime, and I think we finally got to see that."

Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments on Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez below (starting at the 3:22 mark):

While Ortega and Rodriguez could both be future opponents for Sterling, he will have to get through Kattar first. 'T-City' could be destined for a title opportunity, if Alexander Volkanovski does not pursue an immediate rematch with Ilia Topuria.

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Aljamain Sterling confirms sparring with Merab Dvalishvili ahead of UFC 298

Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili have a longstanding relationship as best friends and training partners. Their friendship prevented the two from clashing for the bantamweight title and led 'Funk Master' to move to featherweight. While they would not face one another in the octagon, the two hard sparred moments before 'The Machine' defeated Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision at UFC 298.

Ray Longo, who coaches both fighters, initially shared the story, which the former bantamweight champion confirmed on his YouTube channel, stating:

"I spar with Merab for three rounds, three hard rounds. More of me in a squatted position so my height can drop. Getting the absolutely dog s**t kicked out of my calf. He punched me in my eyeball one time. He punched me in the back of my head. He did something to my kneecap. I was in a fight. I felt like afterwards I was in a fight. I was like I need to sleep."

Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments on sparring Merab Dvalishvili below (starting at the 0:32 mark):

Dvalishvili also confirmed the story, revealing that is how the two bantamweights warm up. He noted that they beat each other up to make each other better while claiming the hard sparring session was tougher than his actual fight with Cejudo.