The UFC 307 card is stacked, but the lineup of fights is a little weaker with the loss of the Aljamain Sterling vs. Movsar Evloev fight that was set to be the featured prelim fight.
The former UFC men’s bantamweight champion announced he was forced to pull out of the highly anticipated featherweight clash because of an injury he suffered while sparring. While Sterling is out, Evloev has taken to social media to express his desire to remain on the high-profile card.
According to Evloev, he “worked really hard for this fight,” and doesn’t want all of his efforts to be for naught.
Evloev, an undefeated featherweight contender with title aspirations, has had no shortage of opponents to put their bid in to replace Sterling and serve as his opponent.
Brazilian wrecking machine Jean Silva has made it known he would love the opportunity to step up on short notice to face Evloev.
After welterweight veteran Gilbert Burns pointed Silva to Evloev’s post on X, the streaking Brazilian responded, “Let’s go.”
Silva has won 11 fights in a row, including all four under the UFC’s banner. He last fought on July 13 when he scored a TKO win over Drew Dober, thanks to a nasty cut over the American’s right eye.
If Silva gets the fight, it will be his fifth of the year and third in the past five months. Silva’s power and all-around skills could make him a formidable opponent for Evloev and anyone in the featherweight division.
Bryce Mitchell is another fighter who threw his hat in the ring to replace Sterling.
Thug Nasty is a submission specialist coming off one of the worst one-punch KOs you’ll ever see in combat sports at the hands of Josh Emmett in December 2023.
Mitchell says he has been working hard to improve his striking defense and is interested in facing Evloev, but not on short notice. After the last KO loss, Mitchell says he needs two months to prepare for Evloev, which would still likely put him in a position to fight before Sterling returns from surgery.
Yair Rodriguez is the most logical replacement if he’s healthy and ready. The former interim featherweight champion is currently ranked No. 4 at 145 pounds. He would represent an even bigger target for Evloev.
However, considering things have been seemingly radio silent, Rodriguez may not be ready to step in on short notice.
As it stands, here’s what the UFC 307 card looks like.
Main Card
- (c) Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. (Light Heavyweight Championship)
- (c) Raquel Pennington vs. Julianna Peña (Women’s Bantamweight Championship)
- José Aldo vs. Mario Bautista (Bantamweight)
- Kayla Harrison vs. Ketlen Vieira (Bantamweight)
- Stephen Thompson vs. Joaquin Buckley (Welterweight)
Preliminary Card
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Iasmin Lucindo (Strawweight)
- Ihor Potieria vs. César Almeida (Middleweight)
- Carla Esparza vs. Tecia Pennington (Strawweight)
- Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland (Middleweight)
- Ovince St. Preux vs. Ryan Spann (Light Heavyweight)
- Tim Means vs. Court McGee (Welterweight)
UFC 307 takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 5.
