Aljamain Sterling's Bold Challenge: Eyeing Max Holloway for Featherweight Debut

The former UFC bantamweight champion, known as 'The Funk Master,' is setting his sights on a featherweight debut and has a particular target in mind - none other than former featherweight champion Max Holloway.

Sterling has been out of action since a title defense against Sean O'Malley in August. Despite entering the fight as the heavy favorite, he experienced a second-round knockout loss. While there were calls for an immediate rematch, Sterling aimed for a potential do-over with Marlon Vera instead.

However, the idea of Sterling moving up to the featherweight division has been circulating. If he decides to make the jump, he has his eyes set on Holloway, who recently secured a knockout victory over The Korean Zombie. Holloway is currently unbooked, presenting an intriguing possibility for Sterling.

Speaking on The Weekly Scraps podcast, Sterling expressed his desire to prove the skeptics wrong in a potential showdown with Holloway. He mentioned that Daniel Cormier, in one of his recent podcasts, expressed a lack of interest in the matchup. Sterling is ready to take on the challenge and show 'DC' that he's up for the task.

"[Cormier] was saying that he likes me, but he doesn't think I should fight Max Holloway," Sterling said in a video on his YouTube channel. "That kind of just makes me want to go up right out of the gate and just call him out and say, 'I wanna show you guys what's up.'"

Sterling remains undeterred by the doubters and believes in his abilities. He aims to prove his mettle in the featherweight division and set the record straight.

"I don't think people really understand big-body Aljo, what he can do compared to scrawny but shredded Aljo. It's just different manpower… Max is the man, bro. Max is the ******* man. I go out and I beat the man, bro, come on. And I think it erases my mistake—not completely."

The potential showdown between Aljamain Sterling and Max Holloway has captured the imagination of fight fans, and the prospect of Sterling making his featherweight debut against one of the division's legends is an enticing one. Only time will tell if this exciting clash becomes a reality in the world of mixed martial arts.