The official announcement of the UFC White House event’s fight card has generated mixed reactions among fans and fighters alike. Scheduled as a six-bout spectacle on June 14 during the America Freedom 250 celebration on the White House lawn, the event boasts two world title fights. However, former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling openly shared his dissatisfaction with the lineup.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Sterling questioned the quality of the card, remarking, “It’s only six fights, and that’s the best six fights that they could make?” This sentiment comes after President Donald Trump previously stated the event would feature all title fights, and UFC CEO Dana White promised the “best fight card” in the promotion’s history. Sterling believes the UFC matchmakers failed to deliver on these lofty promises.
“That’s what they said they were going to do. They said that. We didn’t do that,” Sterling stated. He specifically critiqued the bantamweight co-main event: “The O’Malley fight is cool if it were [Cory] Sandhagen. That’s a fight that means something.” While acknowledging the opportunity for Aiemann Zahabi, Sterling expressed a desire for higher-ranked contenders and more marquee matchups, especially between top-tier strikers like O’Malley and Sandhagen, while they are both in their prime. “You have this marquee matchup that you could make on this card. Sandhagen’s been calling for it for a long time and then you decide, ‘Oh, here’s Zahabi.’ I don’t really get it,” he elaborated.
Sterling also voiced concerns about the Michael Chandler versus Ruffy matchup. While appreciating Chandler’s patriotism, he found the fight lacked significant competitive weight beyond potentially giving Ruffy a major step up. “It’s still a fun fight, but it’s not the fight that, to me, doesn’t really mean much,” he explained. He suggested that if Ruffy were on the card, he should have faced an opponent that offered “title shot implications or something.”
In conclusion, Sterling reiterated his overall disappointment: “You say you’re going to deliver a big massive card. I just know if this is exactly it.” He clarified that he wasn’t trying to “nitpick” but had simply expected more “meaningful fights at the highest point of each division.” He felt there were several more impactful matchups that could have been arranged.
