While many, including Dana White, have deemed Aljamain Sterling’s fights dull, his clash against Movsar Evloev at UFC 310 was anything but boring. With heavy wrestling used inside the octagon, it was the Russian bantamweight prospect who secured a victory via a unanimous decision. This was one of the most important wins of Evloev’s career. Why? Well, he might just get a chance to fight for the championship title!

Fellow Russian, Khabib Nurmagomedov, was one of the first people to demand a title shot for the fighter. “19:0 in MMA and 9:0 in UFC I think @MovsarUFC deserves title shot,” he wrote on X. Surely, a fight between Evloev and the featherweight champ, Ilia Topuria, would indeed be interesting.

Similarly, after Bruce Buffer confirmed Evloev’s win, Joe Rogan was heard saying, “You are undefeated and one of the most talented fighters in one of the most stacked divisions in the sport. I can’t wait to see you fight for the title. I hope that’s next. Congratulations.” Two known names from the UFC scene backing the fighter is a big deal, but fans are simply not convinced that Evloev deserves a title shot. Why?

The first round began with the ‘Funkmaster’ pushing in with jabs and kicks. A couple of them did land on Evloev, but he simply shrugged it off and went on ahead. With the crowd chanting ‘USA’, the former bantamweight champ had enough pressure on him to take on the Russian in a clinch, and took control of his opponent’s back.

He was literally a human backpack as Evloev kept on smashing his elbows. But it was the slam right after that which garnered cheers from the fighting community. The two broke apart and soon, Sterling went on for a guillotine and then moved to a crucifix hold when the bell rang, and so the round went in his favor.

Round 2 began with Sterling being a bit aggressive, but Evloev wasn’t one to give in. The ‘Funkmaster’ went in for a clinch, but Evloev had had enough and he took control of the fight, taking in Sterling’s arm for a crucifix. Despite the former champ’s impressive wrestling, Evloev took Sterling’s back and set up a crucifix once again. The bell rang, giving the round to the undefeated Russian.

The same story continued in the final round as well. Evloev demonstrated his striking prowess, but the fight was already a battle focused on the ground game. The scuffle went on and Evloev took control of Sterling’s back yet again. The bell rang while the two were still tangled together, but it was the Russian who had more votes. Well, Evloev did land 82% of strikes, while Sterling landed only 67% of strikes. The Russian even had 80% successful takedown accuracy, while Sterling had 75%.

No wonder the scorecards tilted in Evloev’s favor. While chants for Evloev’s title shot began to rise, the fighting community also felt that Sterling was robbed of a victory. What did UFC fans have to say?

Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev: Fans criticize the outcome of their fight at UFC 310

Henry Cejudo stood up for Sterling. He tweeted, “Aljo controlled more of the time. He gets the nod for me.” In another tweet, the Olympian wrote, “Aljamain Sterling won that fight!”

Nevertheless, with the UFC 310 win, the Russian became the featherweight fighter with the longest active win streak, with a 9-fight win streak in the UFC. Post the fight, he stated, “It was not the best performance tonight but a former champion, a big wrestling guy, so pretty similar technique from both of us. That’s why it was a jiu-jitsu match.”

“I was working more on striking because I always have my own base. I can return to my wrestling any time, even if I don’t prepare. This was shooting all the time so I just gave him back my wrestling,” he stated. However, it didn’t sit well with the fans. As soon as the visuals found their way online, fans wrote:

• “He lost that lmao what a robbery.”
• “Aljo got robbed.”

But what did Evloev have to say about a potential title fight? When asked about this, he stated, “Who knows? You’ll always asking me the same question. Like I said, I’m always ready for a title shot.”

Remember how Rogan was of the opinion that the Russian deserved a championship bout? Well, referring to that, a fan wrote:

• “Rogan saying Movsar should be next in line for a shot in crazy. Lopes and Volkanovski are obviously ahead. And what happened to this new standard of a #5 beating a #9 and earning a title shot, or even being in the talks for one. Long gone are the days of the two top upcoming contenders in the division fighting for the next shot at a title. Preserving undefeated streaks have ruined MMA in recent years.”

The Russian fighter has won back-to-back fights via decisions and perhaps, fans are not happy to see most of his fights end this way. This includes UFC 297 against Arnold Allen, UFC 288 against Diego Lopes, and UFC Fight Night 207 against Dan Ige. In fact, he has won 12 fights out of 19 via decision. Referring to this, a fan mentioned:

• “Mosvar hasn’t had a convincing win in his last 3 fights.”

Did the fight proceed as per your predictions? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.