Sterling was 36 years old at the end of July and entered his third featherweight appearance, seeking to establish more where he is in the division. He dominated Calvin Kattar on the ground during his first outing at 145 pounds last year at the UFC 300, but landed on the bad side of the dashboards against the upper competitor Movsar Evloev in December, leaving him stationed in the Top 10, but in a few places in the Top 5.
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The featherweight is in an interesting place at the moment, with a handful of ascending names that all go to the top of the division, which questions some of these more senior competitors for their online place. While the winner of the latter consolidates his position as a serious threat and a veteran presence, the defeated competitor will be confronted with a crucial mission each time they return.
Sergei Pavlovich against Waldo Cortes Acosta
Sergei Pavlovich and Waldo Cortes Acosta are displayed in a fascinating match between the 10 best heavy goods vehicles with eyes on the challenge for gold in the not too distant future.
Pavlovich struck six consecutive first-round stop victories to land in front of Tom Aspinall in a battle for the acting title at the UFC 295, then lost his follow-up against his Russian compatriot Alexander Volkov seven months later to fall to 18-3 in total. He rebounded with a victor’s victory against Jairzinho Rozstruik in February, and currently resides at No. 3 in the ranking, behind Volkov and the imminent challenger of the Ciryl Gane title.
One of the best stories of success for the latest graduates in the series of competitors from Dana White, Cortes Acosta arrives in Shanghai on a sequence of five fights victories, seeking to force his way in the Top 5. The Dominican “Boy Salsa” followed his scum in Ryan Spann with a unanimous decision in the process.
