Aljamain Sterling has not been particular fond of the new bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. Sterling had one of the most dominating runs of any contender in recent memory until O’Malley put on a brief but spectacular display of fighting at UFC 292. But as it was done by O ‘Malley, Sterling is not fully content with how it got there
An Unconventional Way to the Title
This title is not without controversy in the journey to acquiring the title O’Malley was involved. The flashy fighter earned his title shot after an enthralling explosive decision victory over the former champion Petr Yan. For Sterling, this was not enough to convince him that O’Malley was worthy to fight a title contender. In his interview with the Vers Us podcast, Sterling vented on the disappointment that he had with the decision.
“I want to see the best of the best compete, no excuses”, said Sterling. “Now, enter O’Malley with a guy that is ranked and he gets a title shot even if he won by split decision This is not my hate This is called bow and arrow.”
This made Sterling furious because he considered that O’Malley got a boost from the UFC that paved the way for his victory over the former. “He had to chase me up front which would give me enough time to prepare,” Stealsing said But rather they told him [Henry] Cejudo is returning, we are sending him your way.” He hinted that the UFC arranged a more favorable fight for O’Malley just in case he stands a better chance at being a champion.
Method Comparison
The names of the characters are different, as well as the circumstances of the events that take place in the life of each of them: For Sterling, it is possible to compare his path with the path of O’Malley only in terms of the563. He thinks the UFC has done all they can to give O’Malley the advantage of his youth, saying he reminds him of Jake Paul boxing where he is accused of choosing his opponents carefully like boxing’s famed YouTuber Paul.
“For me, as a competitor, I can never view him as a man — as a man, as a competitor. It’s like the Jake Paul way,” Sterling said. “Stacking the deck in order to get these points, or get these good matchups and these wins look as good as you.”
O’Malley’s career is certainly full of highlight-reel moments. The 28-year-old has an 18-1 record with 12 knockout wins. Despite his impressive resume, Sterling remains critical of how the UFC has handled O’Malley’s rise, particularly in the way it set up his title defense
Challenges Ahead for O’Malley
Sterling isn’t the only one questioning O’Malley’s title reign. As incumbent, O’Malley now faces the toughest challenges of his career. He’s set to defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC’s Noche event on September 14. Dvalishvili, a teammate and close friend of Sterling, presents a much tougher challenge than O’Malley’s former opponent, Marlon “Chito” Vera.
“O’Malley can be a great leader, but to go forward and play No. 6 the guy has fought in [Marlon] ‘Chito’ [Vera] and then taken him to the hospital — OK, great,” Sterling commented saying “But again , matches that favor the deck for you And when you stack it up, it gives you feel like ‘his’.”
Sterling criticized O’Malley’s decision to fight Vera before Dwalishvili, calling it a clever move to give him an easy title defense. “He should have fought Merab before ‘Chito’ parrot. …You get an easy title defense against a guy who is obviously the best in the world.”
While O’Malley prepares for his title defense against Dwalishwillie, Sterling is focused on his upcoming fight. The former bantamweight champion will face undefeated Movser Evloev at UFC 307 on October 5 at featherweight.
