Sterling hopes Aldo, Edgar have an 'egg of a fight' in bantamweight debuts

Former UFC champions Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar are getting closer to their respective bantamweight debuts, and a top contender in that division isn't happy about it.

On the "UFC Unfiltered" podcast last week, Aljamain Sterling said he hopes Aldo, the longest-reigning featherweight champ in promotion history, and Edgar, an ex-lightweight titleholder, perform poorly in their new weight class.

Aldo is scheduled to meet Marlon Moraes at UFC 245 next weekend, while Edgar is slated to take on Cory Sandhagen at UFC Raleigh on Jan. 25.

“I hope all the guys coming down in weight class have an egg of a fight, and leave us real bantamweights who’ve been here, putting in the work, to get a shot,” Sterling said.

“I’m not wishing them any type of ill will, but at the same time, I do wish they just hug each other for 15 minutes and have boring fights," he added.

Sterling, the No. 2-ranked bantamweight, feels that way because he doesn't want to be passed up for a title shot against UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo as a result of Aldo or Edgar winning their bouts.

Sterling is riding a four-fight winning streak and likely would've been next in line against Cejudo after a win over Pedro Munhoz in June. But Cejudo has been out of action during the second half of 2019 due to a shoulder injury, and now Sterling is recovering from a wrist injury himself.

"I don’t really understand or can make much sense out of it," Sterling said of Aldo's and Edgar's decision to drop to 135 pounds. "I’m like, ‘You guys established yourselves as 145-ers - to come down at that age, that late in your career, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to me.’

"It’s the last Hail Mary. It’s the last hurrah for another title shot and one more chance for them to become a champion again in another weight class.”