Aljamain Sterling has called for a UFC featherweight title shot following his second consecutive victory at 145-pounds, positioning himself as a contender to face champion Alexander Volkanovski.

The former bantamweight titleholder is seeking a second UFC championship after moving up in weight following his loss to Sean O’Malley, with his latest win over Youssef Zalal at UFC Vegas 116 placing him back into the title conversation. Despite a prior defeat to Movsar Evloev, Sterling is aiming to secure a high-profile bout with Volkanovski.

Sterling pointed to his grappling as a key difference-maker when comparing himself to Islam Makhachev, who previously challenged Volkanovski. “When he fought Islam, Islam had his back,” said Aljamain Sterling, according to UFC News and Bloody Elbow. “And you saw when I had Youssef’s back. When I fought Movsar, I had his back but he did something really smart, he held my hands and didn’t give me the opportunity to open up and strike.”

He continued by highlighting how he believes his approach differs from Makhachev’s. “I think that’s the difference. Volkanovski, when he got his back taken by Islam in that first fight, he was the one doing damage from having his back taken. That’s the difference between a guy like that and a guy like me,” Sterling added. “It’s just a different skill set. I’m not disrespecting Islam. I just bring a different problem, a different set of skills.”

The featherweight title picture remains unsettled, with Evloev extending his unbeaten UFC run and widely considered a leading contender after recent results. Sterling, however, is attempting to move ahead in the queue by proposing a high-profile matchup with Alexander Volkanovski.

Volkanovski previously faced Makhachev at UFC 284, losing a closely contested decision that sparked debate among observers.