UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber was in awe at the thought of some of the match-ups in the bantamweight division for champ Aljamain Sterling. A former contender himself, Faber listed off multiple fighters that would make for exciting encounters in what is an already stacked bantamweight division.
In his post-fight interview, 'Funk Master', who successfully defended the belt against Petr Yan at UFC 273, called out former champion T.J. Dillashaw. 'The California Kid' believes it makes for an exciting fight but listed other fighters that fans may consider to be more deserving. Speaking to Helen Yee, he said:
"T.J.'s had that win over Sandhagen, it's a close one that could have gone either way... I think T.J would be a good one for Aljo."
Faber was asked who else the bantamweight champion could face in the octagon, to which the Hall of Famer said:
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"There's 'Suga' Sean O'Malley, we've got Jose Aldo who's been on an amazing streak and looking the best we've seen him in a very long time, Cody [Garbrandt] needs to get a win or two. I think that would be a great matchup with Aljo and Cody."
Aljamain Sterling was looking to silence his doubters when he defended the belt against Petr Yan. After his successful title defense, Sterling will have his sights set on the rest of the division. There are multiple fighters with claims for a title shot, and each makes for an exciting matchup against the champion.
Watch Urijah Faber's full interview with Helen Yee below:
Will Aljamain Sterling fight T.J Dillashaw?
The split decision victory for Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273 was the first title defense for the bantamweight champ. While dubious circumstances led to 'Funk Master' winning the belt, the fighter silenced most of his doubters as he walked away victorious in the rematch against Yan.
In the post-fight interview, Sterling, who saw Dillashaw in the front row, called out the former bantamweight champion, referring to his two-year ban for a failed drugs test in 2019.
Watch the interview below:
After serving his suspension, 'Lieutenant Dan' returned to the octagon to face Cory Sandhagen. The two bantamweights put on a classic that led to a razor-thin split decision victory for the returning Dillashaw.
Sterling believes a win over Dillashaw will help cement his legacy as the bantamweight champion and will enjoy beating a fighter he believes has never been clean.