Sterling turned 36 at the end of July and comes into his third featherweight appearance looking to further establish where he fits in the division. He dominated Calvin Kattar on the ground in his first outing at 145 pounds last year at UFC 300, but landed on the wrong side of the scorecards against top contender Movsar Evloev in December, leaving him stationed in the Top 10, but a couple spots back of the Top 5.
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Featherweight is in an interesting place right now, with a handful of ascending names all making a push towards the top of the division, challenging some of these more senior competitors for their place in line. While the winner of this one will solidify their standing as a serious threat and veteran presence, the vanquished competitor will be facing a crucial assignment whenever they return.
Sergei Pavlovich vs Waldo Cortes Acosta
Sergei Pavlovich and Waldo Cortes Acosta square off in a fascinating matchup between Top 10 heavyweights with eyes on challenging for gold in the not too distant future.
Pavlovich rattled off six straight first-round stoppage wins to land opposite Tom Aspinall in a battle for the interim title at UFC 295, then lost his follow-up bout to fellow Russian Alexander Volkov seven months later to fall to 18-3 overall. He rebounded with a workmanlike win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik in February, and currently resides at No. 3 in the rankings, behind Volkov and impending title challenger Ciryl Gane.
One of the best success stories from the last couple graduating classes from Dana White’s Contender Series, Cortes Acosta arrives in Shanghai on a five-fight winning streak, looking to force his way into the Top 5. The Dominican “Salsa Boy” followed up his March knockout of Ryan Spann with a unanimous decision win over Serghei Spivac at UFC 316, advancing to 14-1 overall in the process.