Dana White doesn’t like Aljamain Sterling and that has become evident on multiple occasions. Back in 2023, the UFC head honcho claimed that Sterling was “one of those guys who can’t get out of his own way.” And now, as the ‘Funkmaster’ was getting ready to fight Movsar Evloev at UFC 310 on the main card, he faced a bit of trouble with the match. While the fight would still happen, it wouldn’t go down as a battle in the main card anymore. 

UFC 310 would feature Alexandre Pantoja defending his flyweight championship title against Kai Asakura in the main event. The co-main event would showcase a fight between Ian Machado Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov. And instead of Sterling vs. Evloev, Bryce Mitchell would go up against Kron Gracie in the second fight of the main card on the 8th of December.  

This garnered quite a bit of attention from the fighting community, when Damon Martin, a famed MMA journalist, shared the news on social media. Soon, discussion took to Reddit, where a post showed pictures of Evloev and Sterling. The caption to the post read, “Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling has been taken off the main card and moved to the prelims of the UFC 310. The fight was replaced on the main card with Bryce Mitchell vs. Kron Gracie.”

This unofficial featherweight title eliminator should have gone down at UFC 307 in Utah but for Sterling’s pullout. So, the promotion pushed it to the December PPV. But the rearrangement on the card has left many scratching their heads.

As soon as the discussion entered the realm of Reddit, the fight fans took to the comments section to express themselves. Let’s see what they had to say about the UFC’s decision. 

Fight fans bash Dana White for snubbing Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev

The fight fans know that the UFC head honcho doesn’t really like the former bantamweight champion. One of the fans wrote, “Dana hates Sterling and his fight style. He’s said it multiple times. It almost definitely got moved because Dana said “F–k Sterling”.” Meanwhile, another fan reflected on Sterling pulling out of UFC 267 and UFC 307 due to injuries. The comment read, “Aljos been on Dana’s sh-tlist since he declined some short notice title shots and defenses I think. Bo’s their boy but after his last performance Dana was kinda shi–ing on him too lol.”

No doubt, fight fans believed that putting Aljamain Sterling and Evloev in the prelims was pretty disrespectful. Given the achievements the bantamweights have under their name, the UFC world was simply unhappy with the card. One of the fans wrote, “Movsar is undefeated and Aljo is a former BW champion…the pure disrespect is crazy on UFC’s part. I hope they move some things around, they literally have no-namers on the main card and Aljo and Movsar fight on the Prelims? not even Featured Prelims? Wicked s–t.”

Some fans pointed out that Bo Nickal was on the main card. But the disappointment in the fighting community was palpable. One fan wrote, “They do this s–t yet still put Bo Nickal on the main card every time he fights. Who would rather watch Mitchell vs Gracie than Movsar and Aljo?” Meanwhile, another fan criticized Gracie’s presence in the main card. The comment read, “I don’t care how much the fanbase shi-s on these two, in what world does Kron Gracie belong on a ppv main card? Is he not an even worse version of Aljo? Dude is just gonna get washed or only attempt to pull guard.” The above claim is valid, considering how both bouts are between grapplers.

Dana White has often claimed that Sterling’s fights weren’t entertaining enough for the fanbase. A fan who felt the same commented, “Because Aljo and Movsar are not entertaining fighters yes Mitchell and Gracie are low level fighters but that fight will at least be hilarious.”

Nevertheless, Sterling wouldn’t fail to try his best and take the zero from Evloev at UFC 310. But would this fight be more entertaining than Gracie vs. Mitchell? Well, that’s something that remains to be seen at the event. But one thing is for certain. The fanbase was not appreciative of the matchmaking for UFC 310.

What are your thoughts on Sterling being shifted to the prelims? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.