There was a time in the MMA community when former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski were expected to clash. While Sterling was still champion, he had plans to move up and challenge the reigning featherweight king. However, those plans were ultimately abandoned and they dropped their titles to younger contenders over a span of months. Now both of them have come forward to train together shocking the community even more.

The X handle of ‘Championship Rounds’ revealed a video showing Aljamain Sterling sparring with Alexander Volkanovski. In the clip, they engaged in a light sparring session, with Sterling attempting to land kicks while the former featherweight champion skillfully dodged them. Their training together might appear normal for some fans as fighters do train with each other all the time but what if I tell you, Sterling wanted to fight Volkanovski for the featherweight title?

Back in 2023, When Sterling was the bantamweight champion, he was planning to jump divisions in order to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title. It was such a chaotic scenario that former UFC fighter and Sterling’s coach asserted that his protege would be able to defeat Volkanovski at his peak. “Aljo with his arms, they’re wirey, if he doesn’t get the neck, he’ll break the jaw,” Serra said. “I believe if he gets that back, he’s finishing… That’s a winnable fight, I feel, and I like Volkanovski a lot.”

Well, their fight never materialized as the then champions of their division carried forward with their life as they faced the contenders of their division. This training footage has caught the attention of the fans, who have come forward to give their opinion on the hubbub.

Aljamain Sterling and Alexander Volkanovski’s training footage took the fans by surprise

Aljamain Sterling stands 170 cm tall and weighs around 165–170 pounds when he is not in the camp. It’s quite a big number when you consider that he used to fight at 135 lbs division. Interestingly, even in the training video, Sterling appeared bigger than Volkanovski, “Aljo a big dude could punch on at 155 look at the size of him and he made 135.”

One of the most critical factors for Sterling is the fact that, unlike many fighters, he has a style that is a bit too predictable and he seldom uses his striking skills. A social media user highlighted that a dynamic Sterling would be an insanely fun fighter, “Aljo would actually be a fun fighter to watch if he had a more dynamic style and used striking more. He’s an amazing BJJ guy, but those fights aren’t usually super entertaining.”

Furthermore, another fan appears giving us a bit of a rabbit hole, “That’s crazy. Aljo helping Volk vs Topuria. Merab helping Topuria vs Volk. Aljo and Merab are best friends.” Is Alexander Volkanovski in the camp? Well, nothing has been announced yet as of now but it’s been a year since his last clash, and it’s time for him to come back. A fan thinks the same as well, “He’s in camp. Has a fight. Who will it be? I still think Illia, the UFC is pretty cold on Illia moving up just yet.”

At the start of 2024, when Alexander Volkanovski was still the champion, Sterling called him out for a fight. “If I beat [Calvin Kattar] the way that I think I’m capable of doing, I think I’m right next in line for a title shot. I don’t think that’s too far-fetched of a thing. You look at the guys at the top that already fought for the belt, if (Alex) Volkanovski wins again, I think the door is wide open,” said Sterling in a conversation ahead of UFC 300.

However, Volkanovski would go on to lose his title against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, thus ending the fight discussions forever.“I remember at one point aljo was talking about moving up to fight volk, im not sure how it would’ve went but would’ve been an awesome fight.” Last but not least, another fan was flabbergasted by Sterling’s sheer size, “Aljo is massive wtf”

Well, their training footage did have a bit of a friendly essence to it. What are your thoughts on Aljamain Sterling’s training alongside Alexander Volkanovski? Share your thoughts in the comments below.