In a parallel universe, Aljamain Sterling would be fighting Alex Volanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 300 this weekend.
The longtime former bantamweight champion just needed to beat Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 last August to make it happen.
But, ‘Suga’ pulled off a stunning second round TKO to claim the 135-pound title, before Volkanovski was dethroned by Ilia Topuria in February.
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For the 34-year-old Sterling, it’s one that got away.
“I had asked Dana White for the opportunity to fight Volk, and he said he’d give it to me,” Sterling told this masthead.
“I just needed to beat Sean O’Malley.
“It would’ve been a great fight and the perfect way to announce myself at featherweight, against a great champion like Alexander Volkanovski.”
Despite Sterling’s long bantamweight reign, he wasn’t given an immediate rematch with O’Malley.
He has since confirmed his move up to featherweight, and will fight Calvin Kattar in a mouth-watering showdown at UFC 300 this weekend.
According to Sterling, a good win will put him right into featherweight title contention.
“If I win and win well, that should put me right up there, with what I’ve done at 135,” he said.
“Calvin Kattar’s a tough opponent, but if I can stop him – something even Max Holloway wasn’t even able to do – then that puts me right there.
“I just need to go out there and do my job.”
He knows his brash talk will anger some of the more established featherweights.
“There will be a target on my back,” he said. “I’ve already felt it.
“These guys are saying, ‘Let’s show this guy why there’s weight classes and why he shouldn’t be at featherweight’.
“But sorry, I’m already here. That Topuria fight, that’s a great fight too.”
Not every UFC champion who moves up in weight succeeds.
Volkanovski lost both of his lightweight title fights to Islam Makhachev.
Max Holloway tasted defeat when he fought Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight belt.
Even Israel Adesanya was unsuccessful in his move up to light-heavyweight, having dominated at 185-pounds.
But Sterling says his body has already adjusted to featherweight and is confident of following in the steps of Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones in moving up and maintaining success.
“Before, I was doing fasted training six days a week just to lose weight,” he said. “I’d get a fight and immediately strategise about how much weight I needed to lose each week.
“I could do a little skill work, but it would mainly just be weight loss. It was really hard on my body.
“Now I can actually eat and train. It’s a crazy concept for me.
“I can lift weights too.
“I feel much healthier and I’m ready to go out and show the world what I can do.
“I just need to go out, do my job and go from there.”
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