Tag: Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling dubs Sean O’Malley as ‘wannabe knock-off’ Conor McGregor

Aljamain Sterling thinks Sean O’Malley is being promoted as a big UFC star, but says he’s no Conor McGregor.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] is being promoted as a big star, but says he’s no [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].

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

Sterling, who’s fresh off a title defense against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288, wanted some time to see how his body feels before committing to his next fight. That prompted Dana White to criticize Sterling for accepting the fight, and led O’Malley’s head coach, Tim Welch, to think the promotion would rather have O’Malley as champ.

But Sterling thinks O’Malley has yet to back up his performances like McGregor did when he was on the rise.

“I do think that the UFC does want (O’Malley as the champion),” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “But then (Welch) started going into his reasonings of why and started calling (O’Malley) like this knockout artist – and not saying he never knocked anybody out, but it’s just very different now that he’s swimming with the big boys in the deep end.

“We just haven’t quite seen this magic knockout wannabe knock-off McGregor – that was like the trajectory that he was on. But for some reason, it’s just like people just don’t got the formula or the juice to be Conor.”

[lawrence-related id=2645016,2644925,2644747]

O’Malley’s most recent appearance was a controversial split decision win over Petr Yan at UFC 280 this past October. Sterling rates O’Malley’s skills highly, but isn’t sold on some of his performances.

“Anytime this man has stepped in there with a shark in the deep end, he’s been chewed up, for the most part, every single time,” Sterling said. “Maybe not say chewed up – (against Marlon) ‘Chito’ (Vera), he got flatlined. You ever see a domino, how you just topple it over and just falls? That was him.”

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

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for May: Short-notice newcomer thrills in defeat

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from May 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from May 2023. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for May.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Henry Cejudo suggests UFC 292 interim title fight vs. Sean O’Malley if Aljamain Sterling out, open to backup role

Fresh off a title loss, Henry Cejudo is desperate for another shot at UFC gold.

[autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is ready to jump back into the UFC bantamweight title picture if the opportunity presents itself.

Cejudo (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) is coming off a split decision loss to champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] at UFC 288 and has his eye on Merab Dvalishvili next. Meanwhile, Sterling has already been booked for his next title defense against [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] at UFC 292 on Aug. 19.

Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) said he wants to assess how his body feels first, prompting UFC president Dana White to question why he took the fight. So if Sterling isn’t able to make Aug. 19, Cejudo suggests he faces O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) for the interim title.

“If Aljamain Sterling is playing this game that he’s not ready, he needs a little more time, (then) let’s make an interim fight between me and Sean O’Malley,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “It’s a bigger fight, it’s what the UFC wanted initially. It’s the same reason why they brought me out to chase and beat Aljamain Sterling.

“Yeah, OK, I took a loss. Split decision, I’ll take it on the chin, but there’s still an opportunity there for me. After a three-year layoff, coming back, losing by split decision, being ranked now No. 3, that puts me in a really good position. I wanted Merab, and I’m still willing to wait for Merab. But if that fight with Sean O’Malley happens to open up, I’m 100 percent in, Dana White.”

If Sterling does make it against O’Malley, Cejudo wants to serve as a backup for the title fight. “Triple C” admits it’s not what he would usually do, but if that’s his path back to gold, he’d be “100 percent all in.”

“Typically, I wouldn’t be the type of guy that would do things like that, but right now I don’t have the gold around my waist,” Cejudo said. “So, if the UFC does want to have me as a backup, yeah. I’ve got to talk to Ali (Abdelaziz), and I do want to be compensated to be the backup fighter.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

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

UFC betting odds: Champions enter summer title fights as sizable favorites

According to the latest betting odds, there aren’t any UFC title changes expected across multiple events this summer.

The UFC’s summer schedule is essentially laid out at this point, with a number of championship fights confirmed between the start of June and end of August.

A total of six title bouts are currently on the books, but according to the latest betting odds courtesy of FanDuel, there aren’t expected to a be a whole lot of surprises stemming from the results.

Odds still haven’t been released for a pair of title fights, but you can check below to see where the numbers stand for title bouts at UFC 289, UFC 290, UFC 291 and UFC 292.

* * * *

Video: What’s the best fight from the UFC 291 and UFC 292 bookings?

The UFC announced a bunch of big fights for Salt Lake City in July and Boston in August. We debate which of them is most the intriguing.

The UFC announced a slew of new fights this past week for a pair of pay-per-views on opposite sides of the country.

UFC 291 is set for late July in Salt Lake City, and UFC 292 goes down three weeks later in Boston.

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] will rematch for the “BMF” title in the UFC 291 main event. And that main card also includes [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]’s light heavyweight debut vs. [autotag]Jan Blachowicz[/autotag] in the co-headliner, Paulo Costa vs. Ikram Aliskerov, Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green and Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland.

At UFC 292 on Aug. 19, two title fights headline the bill. Bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] in the main event, and women’s strawweight champ [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] in the co-feature.

But which of those fights stands out as the most interesting in this early look ahead? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and Brian “Goze” Garcia weighed in with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above. Then don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

Chael Sonnen: ‘I have never seen a more disrespected world champion’ than Aljamain Sterling

Chael Sonnen thinks Aljamain Sterling may be the most under-appreciated champion the UFC has ever had.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] may be the most under-appreciated champion the UFC has ever had.

Bantamweight champion Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) recently notched a division record third title defense when he defeated Henry Cejudo at UFC 288. Sterling’s nine-fight UFC winning streak at bantamweight is the longest streak in divisional history.

The promotion announced this past week that Sterling will make his next title defense against Sean O’Malley in the UFC 292 headliner Aug. 19 in Boston. “The Funkmaster” said he needs time to heal, which caused a back-and-forth exchange between him and UFC president Dana White. Sterling appeared confused as to why he can’t get credit for his body of work, and Sonnen agrees.

“There’s certain things that Aljo would just like to get credit for, and he’s right to do that,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “I have never seen a more disrespected world champion, and this isn’t new. You guys got your nuts in a ringer over Aljo the night that he won the world championship via disqualification. It wasn’t just you the viewer. The pundits did it to him, as well.

“It wasn’t just the pundits. There were officials and members of the commission that had a huge problem with the referee letting a world title change hands over disqualification. I never understood that. We only have a couple of rules in this sport: Don’t poke his eyes, don’t bite the son of a b*tch, and don’t kick him when he’s down. One was egregiously violated.”

[lawrence-related id=2644925,2644909,2644747]

Sonnen is surprised to see that even after beating former dual-champion Cejudo, Sterling still has to fend off critics.

“‘We can bring in the greatest and most decorated combat athlete in the history of time. … If we do that, we get Cejudo back, we get rid of Aljo, the world can then be fixed.’ Aljo didn’t follow the script,” Sonnen said. “Instead of appreciating it, we’ve decided to be angry and we’ve decided to be mean to him, and we’ve decided to hurt the world champion’s feelings.”

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

Video: Is the UFC rushing the Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley title booking?

It didn’t take long for the UFC to turn its bantamweight champion around. But is Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley happening too quickly?

It didn’t take long for the UFC to turn its bantamweight champion around.

Champ [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] defended his title against former two-division titleholder Henry Cejudo earlier this month at UFC 288. Immediately after, the UFC brought [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] into the cage for a faceoff as his next challenger.

On Aug. 19, a little more than three months after his five-round win over Cejudo, Sterling has O’Malley at UFC 292. That’s what the UFC says, even if Sterling says he’ll have to see if he’s ready. But it also begs the question of why the UFC seems to be rushing another Sterling title defense compared to how often it asks other champions to fight.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and Brian “Goze” Garcia weighed in with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above. Then don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

Ray Longo on why Aljamain Sterling doesn’t get enough credit: ‘He’s not a conventional fighter’

Ray Longo thinks UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is underappreciated because of his unorthodox style.

Ray Longo thinks [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] is underappreciated because of his unorthodox style.

Bantamweight champion Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) recently retained his title when he edged out Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 and broke the record for most title defenses in the division’s history.

Despite his accolades, Sterling continues to be dismissed by many. Longo, his head coach, has a theory for why that may be the case. He thinks “The Funkmaster’s” style isn’t understood by everybody.

“When you look at him, he’s not a conventional boxer. He’s not Sugar Ray Leonard,” Longo said on Morning Kombat. “He’s got his own thing, and I think from the outside looking in, it looks like you could capitalize on a lot of things. And I told this to Aljo: Henry will go back to that fight and go, ‘Man, I could have did A, B and C.’

“He knows it, but he didn’t for whatever reason. But then Aljo would have adjusted to that. He’s not a conventional fighter. He’s his own guy. That’s what makes him Aljo. He’s way harder to hit. They were telling him, ‘Why didn’t you just elbow him?’ He’s moving his head. All of that stuff that looked optically bad in the fight.”

Cejudo was frustrated by Sterling crouching on all fours during their grappling exchanges, leaving him unable to capitalize on those positions because he could not strike a grounded opponent.

Longo understands why the visual bothered a lot of people.

“I think ‘(Matt) Serra did a great job with the all fours thing’ has got to go,” Longo said. “It just doesn’t look good. I think optically, it didn’t look good and then Henry kind of said, ‘I couldn’t do nothing.’ I see him do that sh*t in the gym all the time, so to me, it’s normal. To other people, when he’s down there moving his head, it looks crazy.

“You don’t see that a lot from people on all fours. He’s just not a conventional-looking fighter, and I think he’s always going to have problems if you don’t know what you’re looking at. I think people look at him, he’s dipping his head, they think they could get him and then when they’re in there with him, they can’t find him and that causes frustration for them.”

[lawrence-related id=2641863,2641103,2640477]

Sterling is expected to defend his title against Sean O’Malley next at UFC 292 on Aug. 19. Sterling expressed concern that he may not physically be ready by then, which has caused a slight rift between him and UFC president Dana White.

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

Dana White scoffs at Aljamain Sterling’s comments: ‘How am I not giving him credit? Ridiculous’

UFC president Dana White doesn’t agree with bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling’s recent comments ahead of a fight with Sean O’Malley.

[autotag]Dana White[/autotag] doesn’t agree with [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]’s recent comments.

UFC bantamweight champion Sterling took umbrage when White said he can’t get out of his own way after Sterling said he may need time to heal up before his UFC 292 headliner with Sean O’Malley can happen Aug. 19.

The UFC president said he didn’t like the way Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) reacted once the promotion announced his next title defense.

“I’m not the one that went out and said ‘If my body holds up’ when I’m promoting a fight,” White told FanSided MMA. “If you’re not healthy, don’t take the fight. We’ll have somebody else fight. We’ll do somebody else for the interim title. Don’t say you’re going to go out and fight and then start saying stuff like ‘If my (body holds up).’

“What’s the first thing that happened? As soon as I was at the press conference, I was asked, ‘Is Aljamain Sterling really going to fight or not?’ Is that what you want the fans thinking? How is that me not giving him credit? I didn’t say anything.”

Sterling is fresh off a title defense against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288, and would be making a three-month turnaround to face O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC). The champion, who defended his bantamweight title for a divisional record third time, was particularly bothered by the insinuation that he doesn’t want to fight.

“Every single time they’ve asked me to fight, I’ve saddled up, put my nuts on the table, and showed up every single time. And I won,” Sterling said on his “The Weekly Scraps” podcast. “It’s just like, at what point do I get credit from the UFC and Uncle Dana? Dana is super nice behind closed doors, but then he tells me I can’t get out of my own way. I’m like, ‘What does that even mean?’ Just clarify what that means.”

[lawrence-related id=2644747,2644665,2644664]

But White dismissed any notion of not giving Sterling credit.

“That was a Saturday afternoon. I was home working out, minding my own business when my phone starts blowing up and Henry Cejudo is calling me, saying, ‘I’ll take the fight. I’ll take the fight,'” White said. “I’m like, ‘Why? Is Aljo out?’

“He’s like, ‘Yeah, he’s already making excuses, saying “if his body holds up” and all this other stuff. Just give me the fight. We’ll fight for the interim,’ blah, blah, blah. Then I walk into the press conference and one of the first questions that’s asked to me is, ‘Is Aljamain still fighting?’ How am I not giving him credit? Ridiculous.”

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

Sean O’Malley dismisses Aljamain Sterling’s health concerns for an Aug. 19 return: ‘He acts like he calls the shots’

Sean O’Malley thinks Aljamain Sterling has plenty of time to get ready for UFC 292.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] is not taking [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]’s health concerns seriously.

The UFC bantamweight champion recently expressed concern about being ready for O’Malley for their expected bout on Aug. 19 at UFC 292 in Boston, given some lingering injuries from his most recent title defense. O’Malley thinks there’s plenty of time for Sterling to get ready and was dismissive of Sterling’s comments.

“He did just fight, but look at Izzy. Motherf*cker fought four times in 12 months,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. “You have four months. It was four months from the fight. Take two months off and then train hard for two months. It ain’t f*cking science. … It’s called discipline.”

Sterling defended his belt on May 6, defeating Henry Cejudo in a split decision in the main event of UFC 288. Not long after Sterling’s win, the UFC announced that the champ would return on Aug. 19, giving him 15 weeks to rest and prepare for another title defense.

O’Malley hasn’t fought since October of last year, when he outpointed former champion Petr Yan in a Fight of the Night winning performance.

[lawrence-related id=2644665,2644715]

Sterling said the bout against O’Malley is verbally agreed, but he has yet to sign and make it official. He cited several lingering health issues that could derail those plans.

O’Malley doesn’t like the spirit of Sterling’s comments and believes he should adhere to the UFC’s plans.

“He acts like he calls the shots,” O’Malley said. “I’m listening to the UFC. I’m not acting like I call the shots, either. Dana said August, so I said August. It’s not like I told Dana, ‘Hey, f*cking run it August. I run this sh*t.’ I said, ‘Hey, Uncle Dana.’ I didn’t call him daddy like he said. I said, ‘Hey, Uncle Dana. When do you want me to beat up Aljo?’ And it happened to be August. I don’t know what his point is here. I don’t know what his plan is by even tweeting that.”

[pickup_prop id=”33584″]