After prior plans for a 3-round bout at UFC 307 fell apart, Aljamain Sterling and Movsar Evloev will finally collide in a high-stakes featherweight bout at UFC 310 this weekend. Having conquered the bantamweight division, ‘Funk Master’ is probably stepping up for the biggest test in the toughest 145-pound challenge in his UFC run yet, given that his Russian counterpart has yet to taste defeat in his professional career.

Aljamain Sterling and Movsar Evloev have been on each other’s necks in the build-up to this fight. There’s a lot of heat, and given the pedigree of both stars, it’s bound to be a technical masterclass. But how do they fare against each other? Well, let’s have a look at that front, starting with their physical stats.

Comparing Aljamain Sterling and Movsar Evloev’s weight, height, reach, and more

Aljamain Sterling is a highly decorated fighter, and doing that in the UFC is no small feat by any means, Movsar Evloev is as tough as they come, but is half a decade younger than ‘Funk Master’. Physically, both Sterling and the Russian national share similar stats when it comes to their stature. They’re both 5-foot-7-inch tall, and weigh 145 pounds (according to UFC’s official stats). But Evloev seems to have a tactical advantage here – his reach. The 30-year-old slightly edges past Sterling with a 72.5-inch reach compared to his opponent’s 71-inch.

The former bantamweight king, who’s had some stiff back-and-forth with Movsar Evloev on social media, does not seem too intimidated by the undefeated star, judging by his recent posts. As we’ve highlighted, the Russian star has a bit of a reach advantage, but that may not matter in a grappler vs. grappler fight. Sterling also seems to have compensated for his slight disadvantage by getting in shape and sporting a pretty ripped and meaty physique ahead of their fight at the T-Mobile Arena.

“Feeling strong and ready to dominate,” ‘Funk Master’ wrote on X. However, physical stats alone won’t give us the clear picture we need to make comparisons between Aljamain Sterling and Movsar Evloev. let’s take a look at what their records have to say.

Sterling vs. Evloev: record, losses, and other stat comparisons

Aljamain Sterling’s bantamweight reign was a considerably long one. He held the belt for a couple of years with two defenses to go with it before dropping it to Sean O’Malley. His demands for a rematch were never met, so he eventually made the jump to featherweight and has impressed critics, nonetheless. With a record standing at 24 wins and 4 losses, ‘Funk Master’ has earned 11 career finishes, and in most of them, ‘Aljo’ tapped his opponents out. The 35-year-old also holds the top spot for most consecutive title fights in bantamweight history with three. That’s the kind of resume that will always keep his opponents on their toes.

But on the other hand, Movsar Evloev has a squeaky clean 18-0 record. At 30 years old, he’s recorded some impressive wins, which include 7 finished opponents. Other than that, the Russian native hasn’t really earned any other honors. But Aljamain Sterling has been a bantamweight for the majority of his UFC run, which could be an advantage for Movsar Evloev because he has a bit more experience as a 145’er. But it’s important to keep in mind that the 35-year-old has more overall MMA experience than the Russian star, who turned pro four years after Sterling.

It is the ground game that stands to threaten Sterling the most against the Russian native. In fact, Evloev has the third-most takedowns in the history of the UFC featherweight division. So, let’s say he has had a pretty good run of handling featherweights inside the Octagon. This 18-0 contender has a 20 percent better accuracy while shooting for takedowns than Sterling, but the figures and the history of both fighters show we could just very well have a real barnburner on our hands at UFC 310.

It will be interesting to see if Aljamain Sterling faces his first featherweight loss in the UFC or if he manages to hand Movsar Evloev his first defeat. Who do you have your money on? Let us know in the comments down below.