Time will tell whether Aljamain Sterling’s decision to move up to featherweight was a good one, but there are some early indications that it might be.
Diego Lopes, a rising contender at 145 pounds, got the chance to train with the former UFC bantamweight champion ahead of his 145-pound debut at Saturday’s UFC 300. Sterling takes on featherweight veteran Calvin Kattar, while Lopes (23-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) takes on Sodiq Yusuff in the preliminary card of the event.
“He’s a big fighter and has always been big for his division of 135 pounds,” told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “He’s now at 145, and I’ve been training more or less a month and a half here in Las Vegas because of ‘TUF,’ so I’ve run into him a few times at the UFC (Performance Institute), and I’ve spoken to him a bit. He’s a fighter that’s big for the division, even though he’s coming up from a smaller weight class.”
Lopes has been doing his camp for UFC 300 in Las Vegas, as he’s been assisting his teammate Alexa Grasso in her coaching role in this season’s of The Ultimate Fighter. That’s how Lopes was able to link with Sterling for a training session.
“I felt him the same as others,” Lopes said. “I’m also lanky for the division, so I’ve always gone against smaller fighters in stature, and I felt Sterling the same as others.”
Lopes likes the addition of a name like Sterling to the growing UFC featherweight division. He thinks Kattar is a good debut matchup for Sterling.
“I think his game matches up well with Calvin Kattar’s because he’s a striker and Sterling is a wrestler,” Lopes said. “That’s when Sterling shines best, when he’s got the advantage on the ground. So we’ll see when it comes to fighting if he has the same strength in the division and can take the fight to the ground against someone that’s big like Calvin Kattar.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.