Dan Hardy wouldn’t like Aljamain Sterling’s chances against Alexander Volkanovski.
UFC bantamweight champion Sterling (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) mapped out a plan in which he eventually moves up to featherweight to challenge champ Volkanovski, but Hardy thinks Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) would present too many problems for “The Funkmaster.”
“I think he (Sterling) struggles against Volkanovski,” Hardy told Submission Radio. “I think Volkanovski’s movement and power would be able to shut him down. You know, the deficits that Henry Cejudo might struggle with against Sterling I don’t think Volkanovski would struggle with. I’m sure he’s gonna give up height, but what is it?
“Maybe three inches in height, but I don’t think he’s gonna give up any reach. I think there’s most likely going to be a – if not even, you know, maybe an inch advantage for Volkanovski, he’s got quite long arms if I remember right. But I don’t know, I just feel like Volkanovski, he’s kind of found that groove in his career where he knows what he does. He knows what he does well.”
But first Sterling has to get past former dual champ Henry Cejudo (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 288 headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.
When making his prediction, Hardy said he gives the edge to Cejudo, who will be returning from a three-year layoff.
“I’m leaning towards Cejudo,” Hardy said. “I’m an optimist, and I think he’s gonna come back with a much better fight IQ and a much more accurate focus with his game plan. What he needs to do to be victorious against Aljamain Sterling, I think he’s very calculated, and that’s gonna pay off in a fight against someone that – he’s just wildly chaotic and can make a lot of bad decisions, put his head in a lot of bad positions against someone who’s got good knees.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
Dan Hardy: Alexander Volkanovski’s movement, power would shut down Aljamain Sterling