With the official announcement of the fight card for the UFC White House occasion, followers and fighters have been weighing in with blended reactions.
The six-bout occasion takes place through the America Freedom 250 celebration on June 14 on the White House garden. It options two world fights, however former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling was underwhelmed by the fight card.
“It’s only six fights, and that’s the best six fights that they could make,” Sterling questioned on his YouTube channel.
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During the lead as much as the announcement, President Donald Trump mentioned the occasion would characteristic all title fights. UFC CEO Dana White promised the ‘best fight card‘ within the promotion’s historical past. Sterling believes UFC matchmakers fell in need of the mark.
“That’s what they said they were going to do. They said that. We didn’t do that,” mentioned Sterling. “135 with O’Malley is cool. The O’Malley fight is cool if it were [Cory] Sandhagen. That’s a fight that means something. Not saying the Aiemann Zahabi fight doesn’t mean anything. It’s given Zahabi a great opportunity. But for this card, I thought they would have put more of the higher ranked guys. And I think the matchup that everyone wants to see is two, long, rangy strikers that are great at moving their feet compete while they’re in their prime. Make the matchup before, I don’t know, before it doesn’t make sense anymore. Right? That’s kind of how I’m looking at this.
“You have this marquee matchup that you can make on this card. Sandhagen’s been calling for it for a very long time and then you definitely resolve, ‘Oh, this is Zahabi.’ I do not actually get it,” continued the former champion.
“The [MIchael] Chandler fight, I get he is American, diehard American and all of that. That’s cool, very patriotic. But him and Ruffy simply does not actually make a complete lot of sense apart from you are making an attempt to present Ruffy a giant step up. Cool. It’s nonetheless a enjoyable fight, however it’s not the fight that, to me, does not actually imply a lot. It’s a win if Ruffy can win. I think about he’ll come out as a giant favourite. No slight to Chandler, however on the similar time, being actual, I feel Ruffy ought to have been combating any individual else if you are going to put him on the card. Give it more of a fight meaning one thing like title shot implications or one thing.”
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“You say you are going to ship a giant large card. I simply know if that is precisely it,” said Sterling. “I’m not making an attempt to nitpick the entire thing. I simply expected somewhat large more, I do not wish to say title worth, however fights that imply one thing on the highest level of every division that they create to the desk. I simply suppose there was a pair more fights that they might have in all probability did as a substitute.”