Aljamain Sterling thinks he can earn title shot against Alexander Volkanovski with UFC Vegas 116 win

Aljamain Sterling believes a featherweight title opportunity looms if he scores a win at UFC Vegas 116.

Sterling is scheduled to face Youssef Zalal on Saturday. Zalal is riding an eight-fight winning streak and he’s coming off a submission finish over Josh Emmett. Sterling was last seen inside the Octagon back in Aug. 2025, scoring a unanimous decision win over Brian Ortega.

While Movsar Evloev appears to be the clear No. 1 contender for Alexander Volkanovski’s 145-pound gold, the UFC brass might feel differently as they have in the past. If that is once again the case, Sterling told MMAJunkie that he could see himself sliding back into title contention.

“Glass half-full, it gives me the opportunity to potentially slide in there,” Sterling said. “A lot of people thought I won that fight with Movsar (Evloev at UFC 310). I still think I won that fight with him, and I should have had that man’s ‘0.’ With that said, if I go out there and beat a young buck that’s surging hot right now – his story is amazing, and he’s a great dude – if I go out there and do what I’m supposed to do and do it in impressive fashion, I think there’s an argument to grant me the title shot against Volkanovski. Another legend.

“I go out there and get it done, I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to make that matchup. … I want to earn my keep. I want to earn my shot. I’m not asking for a handout. I’m just stating the facts on things I have done in this sport and accomplished, and saying like, ‘Yo, don’t forget about me, man. I’m still here.’ With a big win this weekend, I think that pushed my case even further and strengthens it.”

Sterling fought Evloev back in late 2024. It was a highly competitive fight that ended with Evloev getting his hand raised via unanimous decision. While “Funk Master” still thinks he should’ve won the fight, the general consensus is that the judges got it right. Of the 16 media members who turned in their scorecards to MMADecisions.com, 11 of them had Evloev winning the fight.

Do you think Aljamain Sterling can earn a shot at Alexander Volkanovski if he wins on Saturday, or would he still have some work to do? Tell us in the comments below.