Aljamain Sterling eyes UFC 306 showdown with Diego Lopes: “Let’s make it happen at the Sphere”

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has his sights set on rising 145-pounder Diego Lopes.

Lopes had a ton of eyeballs on him during the UFC 303 PPV last month. He was initially expected to meet Brian Ortega in the co-main event. “T-City” ended up suffering a fever and could not compete just hours before the card began. Lopes ended up accepting a fight with Dan Ige, taking a unanimous decision victory.

Now, Sterling wants to give Lopes and opportunity to do battle with a former UFC champion.

RELATED: ALJAMAIN STERLING ACCEPTS FIGHT WITH THE ‘UFC’S MOST BORING’ FIGHTER: “SO I CAN GET MY TITLE SHOT”

Aljamain Sterling vs. Diego Lopes? “Funk Master” is Intrigued

While Aljamain Sterling initially targeted a matchup with Movsar Evloev, the ex-UFC bantamweight king feels the Russian is playing games. As a result, Sterling is ready to move on to Diego Lopes.

Here’s what “Funk Master” said on his YouTube channel (h/t Bloody Elbow).

“I’m thinking about Aljamain Sterling vs Diego Lopes at the Sphere. It has a nice ring to it. Movsar Evloev, I don’t know what he’s doing. I gave him a date and he hasn’t accepted yet, he’s been making all these excuses. Either, you fight on my terms, or I fight somebody else. So, Diego Lopes, if you oblige, let’s make it happen at the Sphere, September 14.”

Sterling had a successful featherweight outing against Calvin Katter at UFC 300 back in April. He’s hoping that his strength will continue to carry over against the elite featherweights as he climbs up the 145-pound ladder.

Sterling sits at number eight on the official UFC featherweight rankings, while Lopes holds the number 12 spot. Evloev would be a bigger boost for Sterling in terms of the rankings since the Russian is in the top 5, but Lopes has the bigger name.