Aljamain Sterling ramps up row with UFC in bid for featherweight titl… — and more

Aljamain Sterling’s frustration with the UFC was clear after his win at RAF06, where he voiced his issues with how the featherweight division is being managed.

The former bantamweight champion, who last fought in August, made his return to competition at RAF06 this past Saturday.

He put in a strong performance, earning a third-round tech fall win over Benson Henderson and adding another highlight to his career.

After the win, Sterling voiced his frustrations over the UFC’s approach to managing featherweights.

Aljamain Sterling calls out UFC over featherweight title shot

Since moving up to 145lbs, Sterling has fought three times, picking up wins against Brian Ortega and Calvin Kattar but suffering a loss to Movsar Evloev.

And since his victory over ‘T-City’, the 36-year-old has been pushing for multiple fights without any clear progress towards getting one booked.

Following his win on the wrestling mats, ‘Funkmaster’ took aim at the UFC, demanding a shot at the featherweight title.

“Nothing (in the works) as of yet, I saw that announcement, the battle of the Bellasores,” Sterling said to MMAFighting in regards to the fight between Aaron Pico and Patricio ‘Pitbull’.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, been with the company since 2014, I’ve been calling my shot, defended my belt the most in the bantamweight division, tied with a couple of other greats.

“Give me my f—— shot, I deserve a shot at the title, OG vs OG, I’m smarter than all of these dumb motherf—— out there… Diego Lopes gets a f—— rematch and he goes out there and fights worse.

“Yeah, I don’t have knockout power, that’s never been my game, I win with (my head), I’m smarter than a lot of these guys. I’m an OG of the game, give me my f—— title shot, I’ll put on a good show… I’ve earned this.”

Aljamain Sterling open to fights against Jean Silva, Yair Rodriguez, and Youssef Zalal

Sterling has been pushing to serve as the backup for the UFC London main event between Lerone Murphy and Evloev, but that role might not be his.

According to ‘Funkmaster,’ he is hearing that Jean Silva could step into that spot instead.

In response, Sterling said he would be willing to face Silva, Yair Rodriguez, or Youssef Zalal in order to secure a title shot.

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The Cincinnati Reds swiped a league-best 190 bases as recently as the 2023 season, easily topping the 166 bases swiped by the second-best Arizona Diamondbacks. The emergence of both Elly De La Cruz and TJ Friedl atop the order prompted then-manager David Bell to put his runners on the move as often as possible, and by the end of the 2024 season they had swiped a pretty astounding 207 bases as a team.

That was only good for third-best in all of Major League Baseball as teams all around the league leaned hard into running more often, but still was emblematic of the team speed they had cobbled together during their rebuild.

Then came the managerial change to Terry Francona, as well as the quad issue for Elly and the litany of hamstring and other ailments Friedl had battled through most of 2024. By season’s end in 2025 – Francona’s first in charge with the Reds – they had swiped only 105 bases, the 19th most of any team in the game.

Tito has gone on record as saying that he’s not necessarily opposed to running, just that he’s borderline morally opposed to giving away outs on the bases. And, the more you run, the more you inevitably run into some outs.

On top of that, the major additions to the lineup over the last half-year don’t exactly scream base stealers. Eugenio Suarez certainly isn’t as he heads into turning 35 years old, and Ke’Bryan Hayes has logged 12, 11, and 10 respectively in each of his last three seasons (as he’s fought consistent back issues).

There’s still plenty of base-stealing ability there, however. Spencer Steer has shown it in the past, Matt McLain routinely gets praised for his running ability, and healthy years from Elly and Friedl will almost assuredly see their season totals higher in 2026 than they were in 2025.

So, what’s the verdict? Will the Reds steal more bases this year than they did last season? Will they once again be one of the pace-setters in the game when it comes to speed and aggression?

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Spring training continues this afternoon, and I've got a pair of moneyline selections for our MLB picks.

See why I like Jameson Taillon and the Chicago Cubs, among other selections, on Monday, March 2.

Spring Training predictions for March 2

Pick	Odds
CHC moneyline	-105
/ Over 7.5	-110
KC moneyline	+125

Pick #1: Cubs moneyline

Jameson Taillon hasn't had the greatest start to spring, surrendering four home runs in 3 2/3 innings of work across two starts, but that's why they play the spring games. It takes time to warm up.

The Chicago Cubs will look to rough up Cincinnati Reds righty Brady Singer, who makes his first appearance this spring. He doesn't miss a ton of bats, and if his command isn't sharp, he'll put Cincy in an early hole.

Pick #2: Marlins/Cardinals Over 7.5

I simply love it when we get spring totals below 10. I know the projected lineups are factored in, and neither the Miami Marlins nor the St. Louis Cardinals figures to be among MLB's best offenses. 

However, Adam Mazur and Andre Pallante have typically pitched to contact over their careers, and that can make things go south in a hurry. There are also some intriguing bats slated to be in the lineups, like Marlins catcher Joe Mack and first baseman Deyvison De Los Santos, and Cardinals second baseman J.J. Wetherholt.

Pick #3: Royals moneyline

I am very curious about what Grayson Rodriguez will bring to the Los Angeles Angels after being acquired from the Orioles this offseason. A former top pitching prospect, the righty missed all of 2025 with injury. Working his way back, he's bound to be shaky, as he showed by issuing three walks in 1 1/3 innings in his previous start.

His upside is through the roof, but I'll take the Kansas City Royals at plus money here, especially if Rodriguez puts the Angels in too deep of an early hole. If the total opens at 10.5 or lower, I'd be all about the Over, as well. 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

A new Maxx Crosby trade rumor from Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer includes the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and, surprisingly, the Los Angeles Rams.