After years of domination in Bellator, Patricio Pitbull made the move to the UFC earlier this week. However, securing his first opponent was more difficult than expected. There were several potential fights linked to the former two-division Bellator champion, but several athletes reportedly turned him down. One of the biggest names to duck the fight? Aljamain Sterling! You heard that right, as Pitbull revealed it in a recent interview.According to Pitbull, former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez, both hesitated before the Dana White-led promotion agreed to a fight between Pitbull and Rodriguez at UFC 314 on April 12 in Miami, Florida. The former Bellator fighter revealed in a recent interview with MMA Fighting that Sterling expressed interest but then declined, while Rodriguez answered positively in private but then requested a ranked opponent when approached by the UFC.He said, “It was hard because they didn’t sound very excited at first. There was a meeting with [my managers]; one [UFC official] wanted it, another didn’t, and one tried to convince the other. [My manager] said, ‘Brother, trust me, it’ll work out in the end.’. All of a sudden, they asked if I would fight [Aljamain] Sterling in March.” Pitbull continued, “I said, I’m in, but he ran. Then they offered me Yair Rodriguez, but he didn’t respond. I messaged him in private… He said it’d be very gratifying to welcome me to the promotion. But when the UFC contacted, he turned it down and asked for a ranked opponent.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by MMA Fighting (@mmafighting)Meanwhile, Patricio Pitbull stayed prepared, taking a short-notice fight against Steve Garcia for UFC Seattle that eventually fell through due to visa concerns. Despite the uncertainty, the 37-year-old remained optimistic that Rodriguez would eventually accept the fight, and his patience was rewarded when the UFC finally booked the fight. However, it is worth noting that this confession has also revealed the dark side of the UFC, that they have been booking fights without the other fighters being completely aware of it. This is a major issue that has been called out by fans.Fans speak out against the UFC after Patricio Pitbull’s confessionAs soon as the interview hit the internet, fans were quick to raise their voice against the UFC. Why? The Dana White-led promotion has been booking opponents for their fighters without them being aware of it, something that was evidenced in this interview when he revealed Rodriguez asked for a ranked opponent since he most likely did not know that he was being booked against the former Bellator fighter. According to fans, this is a major issue, as they called it out in the comments, “Dude just casually exposed the UFC scheme of announcing fights without the fighters saying yes to put pressure on them,” “It’s not good for fighters. You shouldn’t be told when and who to fight without agreeing to it,” and “There have been several other instances when the UFC has announced fights and even the fighters were like, “Huh?” And had no idea.”On the other hand, many fans believed that since Dana White owns the promotion, he has every right to decide who fights whom in the biggest MMA promotion in the world. After all, it is possible that a fighter or champion may start avoiding big fights against tough opponents, something that will be bad for business. So, taking to the comments, several fans backed White’s move as they shared, “If fighters only accepted fights on their terms, we’d never have anything booked.” “You will fight who they put in front of you. . U don’t go to work and say to your boss what U are gonna do, he tells u what to do,” and “It works like that if u bring in money for the ufc and if not then u shut up and do what you are told.”However, not everyone was in there to discuss Dana White and the UFC’s move. Several other fans out there preferred to clear the misunderstanding between Patricio Pitbull and Aljamain Sterling. Taking to the comments, they revealed that the reason why Sterling “ran away” from the fight wasn’t because he was scared of the former Bellator fighter. Instead, it was because he wanted a ranked opponent to help him get back into the title picture. The fans wrote, “Aljo tryna climb the ladder for a second belt; you don’t help at all in doing so,” “I mean he doesn’t gain much from fighting you, my guy,” and “Wanting a ranked opponent instead is not running.” What do you think? Should the UFC be the one to decide the opponents for their fighters? Let us know in the comments. The post “Exposed the UFC”- Patricio Pitbull on Dana White’s Bad Side as Fans React to Aljamain Sterling Negotiations appeared first on EssentiallySports.