Sterling targeting fight with Alcantara, not 'extremely boring' Dodson bout
Now that Aljamain Sterling is back on the winning track, he's enjoying having some leverage again.
"The Funk Master" recently snapped a two-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision win over Augusto Mendes, and for his next fight, he's prioritizing entertainment value, regardless of ranking.
Top-10 bantamweight John Dodson called Sterling out after his own win this past Saturday, but "The Funk Master" is more interested in facing an opponent who is a better style match.
"To be honest, that's not a fun fight to have," Sterling said on the "SFLC Podcast," according to Mike Heck of FanSided. "It's going to be just like the (Raphael) Assuncao fight. It would be extremely boring. ...
"I think Iuri Alcantara might be next (on the list), I think that would be a much better fight entertainment-wise. He's actually going to be a guy who is going to throw and come forward, and try to fight. It's going to be the same thing on my end, so I think that's a much more entertaining fight for the fans.
"That's mostly what I'm looking for, someone who will push the pace, and someone who will not try to sit on a lead. So, Iuri Alcantara is probably the highest man on my list right now, in terms of name value and availability. I would love a top-five fight, I just don't think I'll be able to get it right now."
Though Dodson has a litany of knockouts on his resume, Sterling isn't convinced the former flyweight would be willing to engage him. In his last win, "The Magician" used an elusive striking approach to outpoint Eddie Wineland at UFC Fight Night 108.
"He may finish guys here and there, but honestly, he does nothing," Sterling said. "He does nothing in the fight. He'll explode one minute, and if he gets the knockout, he gets the knockout. But he does nothing.
"His fights are not very fun to watch. His fight with 'Mighty Mouse' (Demetrious Johnson) was fun because of Mighty Mouse. That's because Mighty Mouse beat the crap out of him for 25 minutes. I'm looking for bigger fish to fry than John Dodson."