‘Funkmaster’ Targets ‘Blessed’ For 145 Debut

With no bantamweight title rematch in sight, it looks like Sterling is moving to featherweight where he hopes to jump to the top of the division with a win over Holloway.

While nothing is locked in just yet, former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is hoping to make a big debut at featherweight for his next UFC fight.

“Funkmaster” took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an update on when we might see him competing in the cage again. He gave a target date … and an opponent.

“March,” Sterling tweeted. “Trynna make it Blessed.”

March would be UFC 299, headlined by Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera. “Blessed” would be Max Holloway, former featherweight champion and current No. 1 ranked contender in the division. Holloway has been in a tough spot for the past year and a bit. He’s already lost to current featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski three times. That leaves him largely out of the title picture unless Volk slips up and drops the belt.

On the plus side for Aljo, a win over Holloway would rocket him to the top of the 145 pound division, within striking distance of a title shot. Beating “Blessed” would be a tall task, though, one that Sterling welcomes.

This isn’t the first time Aljamain has talked about fighting Holloway, or the first time he’s heard the doubters saying it’s too tough of a fight.

“Never seen so many grown and young men scared of challenges,” he wrote on social media. “Nothing but regrets at their finish lines.”

Sterling lost his bantamweight belt to Sean O’Malley back in August of 2023. Prior to that, he defended the belt successfully three times, and built a winning streak that carried back to 2018. As for Max Holloway, he hasn’t lost to anyone not named Alexander Volkanovski since a 2019 fight with Dustin Poirier at lightweight.

Will Aljamain Sterling’s new featherweight era start with a war against Max Holloway? We’re definitely down for it. We’ll have to see if UFC matchmakers are as hyped for the idea as us.