"They might have to put him on ice for a while" - Aljamain Sterling on aftermath of Alexander Volkanovski possibly losing to Max Holloway at UFC 276

Aljamain Sterling recently discussed the aftermath of Alexander Volkanovski potentially losing to Max Holloway at the upcoming UFC 276.

Volkanovski made his first outing against Max Holloway at UFC 245 for the featherweight championship in 2019. The Australian defeated Holloway via unanimous decision and secured the 145lb title. In his first title defense, 'The Great' was again signed against Holloway at UFC 251. The outcome was a split decision win for Volkanovski.

The champion was set to face Holloway in a trilogy battle at UFC 272. However, owing to an injury, 'Blessed' was forced to withdraw from the event and was replaced by Chan Sung Jung at UFC 273. 'The Great' successfully defended his championship once more, defeating 'The Korean Zombie' in the fourth round with a standing TKO. Interestingly, the UFC has decided to go ahead with the Volkanovski-Holloway trilogy fight once more.

Giving his take on the matchup, Aljamain Sterling discussed what the promotion might do in case 'The Great' loses to 'Blessed'. 'Funkmaster' suggested that the Australian might have to be "put on ice for a while" while the UFC perhaps gives Max Holloway a break:

"I know Volkanovski would be tight if he were to lose a close decision like a split decision, right? ...They probably might have to put him on ice for a while, if he were to lose that fight. It just makes things interesting like that. Yeah, because he's just sitting there like, who else is he gonna fight? Maybe they even do that and Emmett and then give Holloway a little bit of a break."

Watch the full video below:

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Aljamain Sterling asks UFC for increase in pay

'Funkmaster' is coming off a huge win against Petr Yan at UFC 273. After receiving immense criticism for winning the title via disqualification, Aljamain Sterling beat the interim champion via split decision and established himself as the rightful titleholder at 135lbs.

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, the UFC bantamweight champion claimed that he wouldn't sign a contract for his next fight unless the promotion increased his pay. Sterling also clarified that he wouldn't begin fight camp for his next title defense, which is rumored to be against T.J. Dillashaw unless his remuneration increases.

Speaking about his next defense targeted for UFC 279, 'Funkmaster' said:

"Fight camp ain’t starting until these guys pay up. So, show me the money. ‘Paper champ,’ baby, ‘cause I’m making paper. So, pay up.”

Watch Aljamain Sterling talk about his next title defense below: