MMA icon thinks Aljamain Sterling and Chris Weidman feel they’ve been demoted with UFC 310 prelim spot

One former UFC icon believes Aljamain Sterling and Chris Weidman aren’t gung-ho over being on the UFC 310 prelims.

UFC 310 is coming up this Saturday. It’ll be the UFC’s year-end pay-per-view. Sterling and Weidman will be featured on the card, but not on the PPV. Instead, the “Funk Master” will fight on the ESPN2 prelims, while the “All American” will compete on the early prelims.

It’s a spot that both men view as a demotion, if Matt Brown’s hunch is correct.

RELATED: ALJAMAIN STERLING REACTS AFTER HIS FIGHT WITH MOVSAR EVLOEV IS BUMPED TO THE UFC 310 PRELIMS IN FAVOR OF BRYCE MITCHELL VS. KRON GRACIE

Matt Brown Thinks Aljamain Sterling and Chris Weidman Feel Slighted by UFC 310 Card Position

During a new episode of MMAFighting‘s “The Fighter vs. The Writer,” Matt Brown told Damon Martin that he believes Aljamain Sterling and Chris Weidman feel they have been demoted.

“The biggest difference is when you’re on the main card, there’s more crowd there and that’s what we all want,” Brown said. “We all want to be in front of more people, a louder crowd. I’m guessing every other fighter does … I feel way more comfortable in front of the biggest crowd than kind of scattered, empty seats and people kind of cheering and going to get their beers and getting settled in, people walking in as you’re fighting, things like that.

“Especially when you’ve got a guy like Chris Weidman, who’s a former champion. Aljamain Sterling, who’s a former champion. They feel like they’re demoted. I guarantee. I feel that way when I’d get put on the prelims. Like I’m demoted, like you don’t care about me as much. Like you think I’m on my way out. You’re not moving me up the card towards the main event. That’s where we all want to be. We want to be in the main event.”

Regardless of his position on the UFC 310 card, Sterling has a pivotal featherweight matchup. He will take on the unbeaten Movsar Evloev. As it stands now, Sterling is a betting underdog. It’s up to him to prove the doubters wrong and get one step closer to his goal of winning a UFC title in a second weight class.

As for Weidman, he will take on Eryk Anders in a bout that was supposed to happen at UFC 310 back in November. The fight had to be rescheduled as Anders fell ill on fight day.

Be sure to keep it locked on BJPenn.com for UFC 310 updates throughout the week, as well as live coverage on fight night.