Tag: Aljamain Sterling

Video: UFC 292 ‘Countdown’ for Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley

Did you miss the debut of UFC 292 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the main event preview now.

Did you miss the debut of UFC 292 “Countdown” or just want to watch it again? Check out the main event preview now.

The segment takes a special look at the bantamweight title bout between champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) and challenger [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC).

UFC 292 takes place Saturday at TD Garden in Boston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

“Countdown” goes behind the scenes with the two fighters, and you can watch the full segment above. And don’t miss the entire episode in the video below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

Sean O’Malley boasts Aljamain Sterling as ‘bantamweight GOAT’ ahead of UFC 292 title fight

Sean O’Malley thinks Aljamain Sterling is the toughest obstacle possible in the way of his quest to become UFC bantamweight champion.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] is the toughest obstacle possible in the way of his quest to become UFC bantamweight champion.

O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) will challenge Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) for the 135-pound belt on Aug. 19 in the main event of UFC 292, which takes place at TD Garden in Boston and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The challenger comes into the fight as the betting underdog, but O’Malley doesn’t object. He says it’s for good reason, and it’s because Sterling is the greatest fighter and champion the division has ever seen.

“I’m fighting a prime bantamweight GOAT right now,” O’Malley told Bloody Elbow. “He’s the best bantamweight UFC has ever had. He’s defended the belt more than anyone. He’s in his prime. He just beat Henry Cejudo, who’s a two-time division champion. So yeah, it’s an exciting, difficult challenge that I’m excited to go out there and compete.”

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Sterling enters the event with three consecutive title defenses, which is the longest run in the storied history of the weight class. He has the most wins, fight time and significant strikes landed in divisional history – numbers that all support O’Malley’s argument for Sterling’s greatness.

Despite the accolades, O’Malley doesn’t enter UFC 292 short on confidence. He thinks he has the style to give Sterling fits, and if he can avoid being held down, wore out or submitted, he certainly likes his chance of leaving the clash with gold around his waist.

“My game plan’s no secret,” O’Malley said. “I do not want him to grab ahold of me at all. He doesn’t grab me, I win the fight. He grabs me, you know, it’s not ideal. It’s not like I’m a white belt, or completely oblivious to what to do. He’s the best in the world at grappling. That’s what he does. He’s won the belt that way and he’s the best.

“I’m not taking him lightly at all. I’m not underestimating him at all, but yeah, I’m confident. I’m excited to go in there. It’s the biggest test, the biggest challenge of my career.”

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T.J. Dillashaw rooting for Sean O’Malley at UFC 292, but Aljamain Sterling ‘is just too good’

T.J. Dillashaw doesn’t see Sean O’Malley beating Aljamain Sterling – even though he wants it to happen.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] doesn’t see [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] beating [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] – even though he wants it to happen.

Bantamweight champion Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) defends his title against O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the UFC 292 main event on Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston.

Dillashaw was dominated and stopped in the second round by Sterling in their title fight at UFC 280 in October – a fight where Dillashaw dislocated his shoulder early. He sees Sterling’s grappling being too much for O’Malley.

“I underestimated O’Malley when he fought Yan and things like that, but what Sterling is so good at is O’Malley’s biggest weakness,” Dillashaw said on the JAXXON PODCAST with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. “I’m rooting for O’Malley just because he’s a good character for the sport, he’s great for the weight class.

“I’ve interacted with him actually, I like the guy, but Sterling is just too good. His pressure is going to be there to get the takedown, he’s for sure going to get the takedown, and he’s going to get the back. He’ll end up submitting him.”

It wasn’t all compliments from Dillashaw, who insists Sterling’s striking is not up to par.

“He’s a good wrestler, but he’s so desperate for the takedown because his striking sucks so bad,” Dillashaw continued. “I can tell that he’s been scared a lot. He’s gotten better at it, but he’s always been so scared that he’s like desperate. So, he’ll do whatever he can to get the takedown.

“He’ll shoot three, four times, you’ll stuff all of them, eventually he’ll get it. Where he’s good is he’s really good on the back, he has really good jiu-jitsu, and he’s strong. I felt him, even though I had one arm, I could still feel his pressure and how strong he was.”

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Jon Anik: Aljamain Sterling ‘borderline bullied’ into UFC 292 title defense, but ‘they didn’t hold a gun to his head’

Jon Anik thinks Aljamain Sterling was pressured into defending his title at UFC 292.

[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] was pressured into defending his title at UFC 292.

Bantamweight champion Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) will look to extend his record for most title defenses in the division’s history when he takes on [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the Aug. 19 main event at TD Garden in Boston.

Sterling will be making a three-month turnaround after retaining his belt in a five-round battle against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 in May. “The Funkmaster” revealed that he’s not 100 percent healthy, but will make the quick turnaround regardless to face O’Malley against his will – and Anik echoes the same sentiment.

“The fact that he is stepping up here – because the promotion didn’t hold a gun to his head,” Anik told MMA Junkie. “Like yes, he was I believe forcibly pushed into this slot, borderline bullied into this slot, but they didn’t hold a gun to his head. But it was a hard, 25-minute fight with Henry Cejudo and that shouldn’t be lost in this conversation, and that’s why I believe as I sort of said, this heightens the challenge and then it heightens the accomplishment.

“A win over Sean O’Malley is huge, it’s absolutely huge. I think all the elite bantamweights would tell you that too – on or off the record. They all acknowledge how good Sean O’Malley is, but we don’t necessarily know how good he is in terms of being a 5 tool player and being tested against a grappler like Aljamain Sterling. I cannot wait.”

Regardless of Sterling’s outcome against O’Malley, he’s Anik’s pick for greatest bantamweight of all time.

“He could lose by head kick 30 seconds in and he’s still the greatest UFC bantamweight champion of all time for me,” Anik said. “Aljamain Sterling is criminally under appreciated, always will be… Dominick Cruz is one of my best friends in the world, former two-time UFC bantamweight champion.

“At this point – not that you even wanted to have this conversation, he’s the only guy in the conversation with Aljamain Sterling as far as I’m concerned. Aljo’s UFC body of work at this stage, just recently capped with a Henry Cejudo win, is impossible to compete with at this point in time. Too many high-level UFC wins for Aljamain Sterling for anyone else to compete with.”

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Aljamain Sterling not impressed with Cory Sandhagen’s win over Rob Font: ‘Respectfully, it was a sh*t fight’

Aljamain Sterling wasn’t fond of Cory Sandhagen’s performance at UFC on ESPN 50.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] wasn’t fond of [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]’s performance at UFC on ESPN 50.

Sandhagen (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) put on a grappling clinic en route to a dominant decision win over [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) this past Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

Sandhagen, who suffered a quick submission loss to Sterling in June 2020, was in firm control throughout the fight, but UFC bantamweight champion Sterling thinks he could have done more.

“Honestly, respectfully, it was a sh*t fight,” Sterling told ESPN. “Cory did what he had to do to win, so I respect that. Font definitely needs to pick up on his grappling to escape, give up your back, go to all fours, something. You can’t just sit down on your back and kind of just lay there hoping for a submission. It doesn’t work like that – not at this level. I think that kind of showed myself and Merab (Dvalishvili) that there’s levels to this. There’s a reason why we’re at the top.”

Although he revealed he injured his tricep in the fight, Sandhagen called for a title shot after defeating Font. But Sterling doesn’t see this win propelling him a step further in his title pursuit.

“I think he stays right where he is,” Sterling said. “Unfortunately, injury is part of sport. I can’t take anything away from him. Obviously tearing a tricep is a big thing. I’ve torn my bicep before. I’ve got a partially torn one, also. I know what it’s like to deal with injuries in a fight.

“I just think he could have done a little bit more on top. Your tricep doesn’t stop you from dropping elbows. It doesn’t stop you from punching. There’s levels to this, and respect to him for implementing grappling now to his arsenal – but there’s levels.”

Sterling defends his title against Sean O’Malley in the UFC 292 main event on Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston. “The Funkmaster” hinted on several occasions that his days at 135 pounds are numbered, suggesting that Sandhagen could get his desired title shot after all – but not against him.

“You’ve got a guy in Merab who’s right there, as well,” Sterling said. “Maybe they’ll be fighting for the vacant title.”

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Sean O’Malley: Aljamain Sterling saying he’s fighting against his will a ‘built-in excuse’

Sean O’Malley isn’t buying that Aljamain Sterling is fighting against his will.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] isn’t buying that [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] is fighting against his will.

O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) in the UFC 292 headliner on Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston.

Sterling recently claimed that he’s fighting O’Malley against his will due to the quick turnaround. However, O’Malley thinks “The Funkmaster” is just setting up an excuse by saying he’s not 100 percent healthy.

“He’s been very vocal, he’s got some kind of bicep injury or something,” O’Malley told reporters backstage at UFC 290. “He said that before the last fight against Henry (Cejudo). It’s a built-in excuse to say, ‘Oh, I got these injuries and I’m going into this fight,’ and I beat him, and he’s like, ‘Well, you guys already knew. I said I was injured, I didn’t want to fight.’

“Built-in excuse is what it sounds like. He’s going to make the fight. He’s going to get paid, he’s going to make it there. We’ll see how he shows up, but I do think he’s taking this fight very serious. I do think he looks at me as very dangerous. So, I expect the best Aljamain to show up.”

According to BetMGM, O’Malley is a +220 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the challenger would win $220 profit. Sterling is a -275 favorite, meaning a $275 bet would be needed on the champion to return $100 profit. Based on their resumes, O’Malley thinks the odds are fair.

“Look at who he’s beat, look at the guys he’s beat in the last four, five fights,” O’Malley said. “My best win is over Petr Yan. A very close fight, a very tough fight. So, looking at it like that, it makes sense.

“But, that’s what me vs. Petr was, the same odds. I think they were even worse at one point. So, I like that. It fuels me. It’s exciting to go in there and fight the best bantamweight in the world. I go out there and put his lights out, what does that make me?”

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Alexander Volkanovski sees Aljamain Sterling as possible next UFC fight: ‘He’s definitely paid his dues’

Though he’s focused on featherweight and lightweight, Alexander Volkanovski sees bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling as a real possibility next.

LAS VEGAS – As [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] sits atop the featherweight throne during International Fight Week he’s focused on the task in front of him, with thoughts of a rematch against the lightweight division’s king also on his mind.

But as Volkanovski (25-2 MMA, 12-1 UFC) recently challenged up a weight class in a UFC super fight against Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) he also recognizes the possibility he may play defense of his divisional position rather than offense the next time he goes head-to-head with another promotional title holder.

UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) returns Aug. 19 at UFC 292 in Boston against Sean O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC).

For months, Sterling has hinted the bout, if he’s successful, will be his final at the weight class. Sterling plans to depart bantamweight as champion and fight Volkanovski, or whoever holds featherweight at that time – a plan Volkanovski approves.

“If (Sterling) goes down there and takes out Sean, I think he’s definitely paid his dues,” Volkanovski told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a news conference Wednesday. “How many title defenses would that be? Three or four. There you go. I think so. He’s a big dude. But yeah, he’s got a tough fight ahead of him. But that’s another possible fight. There’s plenty of options.”

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Volkanovski takes on interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the UFC 290 main event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The main card streams on pay-per-view after prelims on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+.

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Aljamain Sterling: Sean O’Malley fight at UFC 292 is ‘literally against my will’

Bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling is making it crystal clear that he REALLY doesn’t want to fight so soon at UFC 292.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] did not want to make that quick of a turnaround for UFC 292. If that wasn’t clear before, it certainly is now.

Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) defends his bantamweight title against [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the Aug. 19 headliner at TD Garden in Boston. “The Funkmaster” wanted more time to recover after retaining his title in a five-round battle with Henry Cejudo in May at UFC 288, but he was offered to fight O’Malley three months later.

“People don’t understand how much time I actually put into this sport,” Sterling said on his podcast. “Sometimes you could get a little burned out. Sometimes that can take a lot out of you mentally. That’s why, after this fight, I had so much things with Henry, so many things planned out, that I just wanted to decompress and stop thinking about fighting for once because I do so much to get to the fight and prep myself to mentally get ready for battle.

“I had that just kind of ripped from underneath my legs. Now I’m like, ‘OK, this time you motherf*ckers are not doing this to me again.’ I’m going to fight, even though it’s literally against my will. People can say whatever – if Dana (White) were to hear this, Hunter (Campbell) were to hear this, they would say, ‘We’re not making him do anything.’ Let’s be real here, bro. Come on, dude. You kind of are. Let’s call a spade a spade.”

Sterling is fighting sooner than he wants to. Throughout his title reign, the 33-year-old has dealt with neck and biceps injuries and said he won’t be completely healthy heading into his fourth title defense against O’Malley.

“Like I said, I still have injuries that I’m still nursing to this day, and I’m not going to stop saying that,” Sterling said. “People can get mad at me. ‘You’re disclosing that you’re not 100 percent healthy.’ No one is 100 percent healthy going into a fight, and clearly I just fought.

“Henry just pulled out of a fight because he’s not 100 percent healthy. I wonder why that happened. … Behind the scenes, (UFC executives) have their ways to kind of make you, ‘OK, I’m going to do this for you guys again, even though I’m not going to get any thank yous for it.'”

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Aljamain Sterling blasts ‘dirty little weasel’ Henry Cejudo for UFC 292 withdrawal

Aljamain Sterling didn’t hold back on Henry Cejudo after his withdrawal from UFC 292.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] didn’t hold back on Henry Cejudo after his withdrawal from UFC 292.

The UFC bantamweight champion took a shot at his former rival, as he found Cejudo’s criticism towards him hypocritical, given that Cejudo recently pulled out from a fight against Marlon Vera set to go down on the Aug. 19 UFC pay-per-view in Boston – the same card Sterling headlines against Sean O’Malley.

Cejudo previously criticized Sterling’s unsure stance on a potential return for the Aug. 19 date. Sterling had concerns about not having the proper time to heal up and return to defend his title against O’Malley at UFC 292, given that he had fought and beat Cejudo at UFC 288 in May. Cejudo made light of the quick turnaround and offered to fight O’Malley for an interim belt.

“Henry Cejudo is out of this fight,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “‘The savage, remember that? The savage? Texting Dana (White) saying, ‘If that little p*ssy doesn’t want to fight, I’ll take the fight?’ Isn’t it funny how the roles are reversed now, and this ‘little savage’ is no longer a savage? Very interesting.

“For me, I call that being a dirty little weasel. You try to disparage my name in front of the fans and make it seem like I don’t want to fight, whatever, ‘The fight wasn’t that bad of a fight, so you should be able to turn around.’ Guys, I’m telling you from experience, from a championship experience, defending multiple times… it’s very, very different getting ready for 25 minutes versus 15 minutes.”

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Sterling believes Cejudo made himself look bad in the MMA community for his comments and then contrasting actions.

“Henry wanted to be this big, bad tough guy and lie to the fans and make it seem like he was in it to win it, yay! But now look, instead, you look like an assclown trying to pretend you’re something that you’re not,” Sterling said. “You’re human, bro. I’m human. I at least disclosed upfront because I didn’t want to rob the fans of their hard-earned money, because I wanted to check out my injuries, and I fought you with my injuries prior to coming into the octagon! So who is really the savage? Who is really built like that? Because clearly, my man, it ain’t you, respectfully.”

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Aljamain Sterling exposes Sean O’Malley’s UFC resume, says he doesn’t deserve title shot

In case you haven’t noticed, a lot of Sean O’Malley’s wins have come against fighters no longer in the UFC.

UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] is an unworthy challenger.

Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) defends his title against O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the UFC 292 headliner Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston.

O’Malley was destined for stardom when he delivered one of the most memorable performances on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017. He had rapper Snoop Dogg, who was commenting his fight, losing his mind and UFC president White on his feet. He has since notched five bonus-winning knockouts, but Sterling questions the caliber of his opposition.

“Dana White’s Contender Series, (O’Malley) gets a beautiful knockout, gets hyped up … has some OK fights, then he starts knocking out a couple of guys no longer in the UFC,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “Terrion Ware, no longer in the UFC. Andre Soukhamthath, no longer in the UFC. Raulian Paiva, I don’t think he’s in the UFC. Thomas Almeida, he’s no longer in the UFC.

“Who else did he knock out? Kris Moutinho TKO, even though they probably should have let the fight keep going. … You get this guy who’s kind of come in, has had these tailor-made fights that were handpicked for him to look like a superstar, and in all fairness, I’m not even mad at that.”

O’Malley has one-career setback, a TKO loss to Marlon Vera in August 2020. However, that didn’t halt O’Malley’s rise as he would go unbeaten in his next five fights. A razor-thin decision win over former champion Petr Yan last October is what earned him a shot at gold.

“What I’m more annoyed with is the fact that he has an opportunity to really stake his claim and declare to the division, ‘Hey, guys, this is who I am and I’m here,'” Sterling continued. “Instead, he goes out and fights ‘Chito’ (Vera), literally the fight lasts like three minutes.

“He throws a couple of kicks, he gets kicked once, he falls over, gets punched like one time, and his lights get shut out and TKO’d. He gets knocked out by ‘Chito,’ somehow moves up. He ends up fighting Pedro (Munhoz), Edward Scissorhands his eyeballs on his fingertips, and he ends up fighting Petr Yan.”

On the other hand, it took Sterling 14 UFC fights to get his shot at gold – which included wins over Jimmie Rivera, Munhoz and Cory Sandhagen. When comparing resumes, “The Funkmaster” said he had to go through the ringer to reach the top.

“You had this fight (against Yan) and it’s like, dude, we are not the same,” Sterling said. “We are just not the same. I’ve cut my teeth in this sport and in this division. What am I, 15-3 now? What are we even talking about? I got the resume. So I don’t think Sean deserved the spot.”

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