WATCH | UFC legends Alexander Volkanovski and Aljamain Sterling spar in Thailand

Ever wonder how a fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Aljamain Sterling would go?

Well, now that both men are competing in the featherweight division, it’s possible we’ll find out in the next few years. However, we recently got a sneak preview of the potential matchup, as Australia’s Volkanovski uploaded some of footage of a sparring session with the American on his official YouTube channel.

Volkanovski is the former UFC featherweight champion, and arguably the best fighter in the division’s history. He held the belt from late 2019 to early 2024, and defended it five times in that span, against world-class opposition in Max Holloway (twice), Brian Ortega, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, and Yair Rodriguez. He lost the belt early last year when he suffered a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria, who still holds the title. The former champ hasn’t fought since.

Sterling, meanwhile, is a former champion one division down at bantamweight. Like Volkanovski, he is one of the top fighters in his division’s history, tallying three title defenses against Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo. He lost the belt to Sean O’Malley in 2023, and later moved up to Volkanovski’s division in search of greener pastures. He won his first fight in the division, defeating Calvin Kattar by decision, but then lost a close decision to top contender Movsar Evloev in his next fight.

While it’s very possible he and Volkanovski could cross paths in the cage before they hang up the gloves, it’s clear they have no objection to sharing knowledge in the gym.

Working with Volkanovski ‘a cool experience’

“This is actually the first time training with Volk,” Sterling said in the video Volkanovski posted, which was shot at Bangtao Muay Thai and Thailand. “We’ve seen each other in passing a bunch of different times at the UFC PI, fight events and things like that. This has been a cool experience to work with one of the greatest guys of all time in the featherweight division, so this is really nice. First time at Bangtao as well. First time in Thailand. This is pretty high level.”

Who do you think would win a real fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Aljamain Sterling?