It was announced in late June that a featherweight bout between Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling would take place as the co-main event for the UFC’s anticipated return to China. The event, which is scheduled for August 23rd, is a crucial one for both athletes who have strong reasons for wanting to win it. For Sterling, in particular, this is his chance to establish himself as a title contender in a new weight class.
From bantamweight champion to featherweight challenger
Having conquered the 135-pound division as a former bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling moved up to the featherweight division last year after surrendering his title to Sean O’Malley. His foray into this new weight class started off pretty well with a decision win over Calvin Kattar before losing to the undefeated Movsar Evloev in December 2024.
This fight against Brian Ortega is a significant one for Sterling, who’s looking to position himself at a higher ranking and as a potential championship winner.
Ortega is also looking to stay relevant in the featherweight title picture. He’s challenged for the title twice against Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski, but was unsuccessful on both occasions. He’s coming in with a 1-3 record over his last four appearances, so the stakes are just as high for him.
How Sterling’s fight styles squares up against Ortega
Sterling’s technique is a combination of wrestling and striking. And his physical strength is some of the best in the division. Ortega, on the other hand, is known to be a dangerous submission specialist with impressive striking skills. Their fight styles suggest a competitive and exciting matchup, especially if it hits the ground, since both have effective grappling skills.
Fighting styles are a major factor determining how a fight is going to play out. SportyTrader always considers this and other stats to arrive at the most accurate forecasts. You can check out SportyTrader for early predictions on Ortega-Sterling and other UFC expert picks for tonight.
Match details
This event will mark the fourth one held in mainland China and the eighth overall in Greater China. It’s also the first UFC event held in China since 2017 and is scheduled to take place at the Shanghai Indoor Arena in the Xuhui District. Ortega-Sterling is the co-main event on the fight card. Headlining the UFC fight night is the light heavyweight bout between Jonhhy Walker vs Zhang Mingyang. It begins at 11:00 AM UTC on Saturday, August 23rd 2025.
Sterling is touted as the favourite to win due to his physical strength and mix of techniques. But as we’ve mentioned, this is an equally important fight for Ortega, so both will be coming in highly motivated. This is definitely a great match to mark the UFC’s return to China.
Subscribe
