Aljamain Sterling discusses Max Holloway's strategy against Topuria: 'Fatigue could be key'

08/30/2024 04:33 PM

Former undisputed bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling has claimed “fatigue” could be an interesting factor ahead of October’s featherweight title fight at UFC 308 between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway — as he gears up for his own future title hopes.

Sterling, a former dominant undisputed bantamweight champion, and the current number eight ranked featherweight contender, is slated to return at UFC 307 at the beginning of the month, taking on surging Russian challenger, Movsar Evloev in a potential title-eliminator in Salt Lake City, Utah.

And making his featherweight divisional bow at UFC 300 back in April, Uniondale native, Sterling took home a dominant shutout unanimous decision win over perennial contender, Calvin Kattar, nullifying his striking prowess with an impressive, wrestling and grappling-heavy approach.

Aljamain Sterling claims Max Holloway is interesting test for Ilia Topuria

And sharing his thoughts on the October bantamweight title fight between Topuria and Holloway, Serra-Longo MMA staple, Sterling has claimed fatigue could be an interesting factor to keep an eye on ahead of the UFC 308 pairing.

“If Max (Holloway) could stay on his bike and touch him (Ilia) Topuria from the outside, it would be very interesting to see what happens in the later rounds,” Aljamain Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “We haven’t seen Topuria exhausted or tired yet. In round five with Josh Emmett, he was in the driver’s seat the whole time, but what happens if you could set a little fatigue in him?”

“Him having some failed takedown attempts, or even if he gets the takedowns and Max can get back up, it makes the fight very interesting where he starts to use up a lot more energy than expected,” Aljamain Sterling explained. “He’s always in your face with those spinning back-kicks. If Max gets back to the old-school Max, it’s a very intriguing fight.”