Tag: Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling explains why ‘there’s a very good chance’ Marlon Vera upsets Sean O’Malley in rematch

UFC champ Sean O’Malley believes his first loss to Marlon Vera three years ago was a fluke, but Aljamain Sterling doesn’t see it that way.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] thinks there’s a big chance that [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] beats UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] again.

O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) is expected to rematch Vera (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC) in his first title defense.

Vera handed O’Malley his first and only career loss in August 2020, when he dropped him with a leg kick to his peroneal nerve and followed it with brutal ground-and-pound to finish the fight. O’Malley called the loss a fluke, but Sterling thinks underdog Vera will get the job done again if they run things back.

“There is a good chance that ‘Chito’ can actually beat Sean O’Malley,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “And I know people are saying this is an easy win, but this is how deep the division is. I’m saying right now I’m predicting an upset. I’m predicting an upset that ‘Chito’ is going to beat Sean again.”

Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) lost the title to O’Malley by knockout at UFC 292, but he doesn’t rate O’Malley’s power very highly. He thinks despite the unfortunate ending, O’Malley’s first fight with “Chito” was very telling and doesn’t expect O’Malley’s cardio to hold up for five rounds.

“If you watch the first fight with them, Sean does the same thing,” Sterling said. “He throws one-off shots. ‘Chito’ was just walking him down and eventually he threw the one kick – OK, let’s erase the kick. We saw what happened when he hit the ground. The leg has nothing to do with him defending punches and elbows from his back. I would imagine that the fanbase would agree with that, right? But on the feet, people are saying he’s too slow, he’s too hittable, he starts too slow. O’Malley is not a knockout artist. He hasn’t knocked out Petr Yan. They’re going to say, ‘Oh, he knocked you out.’ Guys, he did not. Come on, let’s be real. I ran into the shot the same way I did with Marlon Moraes.

“I don’t run into the shot, he hits me with that shot, I’m still standing. … But you look at the ‘Chito’ fight, he’s not one-punching ‘Chito’ unless ‘Chito’ was to run forward the same way I did and get sniped. It’s not happening. ‘Chito’ stays in the same spot, and he’s going to sit there, be patient, walk him down, hands up, he’s going to throw those long kicks, he’s very durable. I think we’ve seen that even in the Sandhagen fight. He’s got a great gas tank. Sean gets tired. I’m not being a hater, just calling it what it is. There’s a very good chance that ‘Chito’ is going to get this upset.”

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Daniel Cormier: If Aljamain Sterling struggled with Sean O’Malley’s size, he’d be in ‘deep trouble’ vs. Max Holloway

Daniel Cormier does not advise Aljamain Sterling to fight Max Holloway at featherweight.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] does not advise [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] to fight [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] at featherweight.

Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) has tussled with the idea of a potential move to 145 pounds – even though he just lost the bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in August.

If he were to move up a weight class, Sterling sees former champion Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) as his perfect ticket to a title shot.

“A fight with Holloway definitely interests me because if I could beat him, I think I’m consensually the No. 1 contender or next title challenger at 145,” Sterling said in a recent Q&A on his YouTube channel. “That would be ideal. It’ll be interesting to see how I do at that weight class, having the extra weight, not doing that severe of a dehydration weight cut, and then see if my cardio goes back to where it is in the room.”

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen loves the idea of the matchup, but Cormier – not so much. He thinks if Sterling had range issues vs. the taller O’Malley, it would go even worse for him against Holloway.

“I love Max, that’s my brother, and Aljamain Sterling is my brother, too,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “DC & RC.” “I don’t want to see them do this fight, but I also don’t want to see them do this fight because Max is too big for Aljamain Sterling. If Aljamain struggled with Sean O’Malley’s size, he would be in some real, deep trouble with Max Holloway. Yeah, I tap out on that one. It’s not a great look for ‘The Funkmaster.'”

Holloway is coming off a knockout win over Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight Night 225 in August. His only losses in the past decade have come to UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who beat him three times.

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Chael Sonnen thinks Aljamain Sterling should fight ‘ultimate gatekeeper’ Max Holloway at featherweight

Aljamain Sterling fighting Max Holloway in a matchup of former UFC champs “would be the ultimate way” to see how he’ll fare at featherweight.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] loves the idea of [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag].

Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) lost his bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in August. Although he’s campaigning for a rematch, Sterling had teased a potential move to featherweight in the past, and that’s what Sonnen suggests he should do.

Sterling’s idea for a move to 145 pounds was to become dual champion. But now that he’s no longer 135-pound champ, Sonnen likes the suggestion of Holloway (25-7 MMA, 21-7 UFC) that he heard in a recent Q&A on Sterling’s YouTube channel. He sees Holloway as the perfect fight to launch himself to the upper echelon of the division.

“I don’t think the change to 145 should have been affected by passing the belt at 135,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “Because he was going to leave the belt either way. Whether he left it in somebody else’s care or he left it vacant and went up, he was going to leave it either way. …

“I love that fight. In fact, I don’t know if there’s an Aljo fight I would rather see. I’m an advocate for history prevailing and Aljo getting a rematch against Sean, but I don’t know that I would rather see that than see Aljo at 145. I mean, that is the pursuit of a championship, make no mistake.”

Holloway’s only losses at featherweight since 2013 have come to UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski. He’s been able to knock off every other contender, and Sonnen sees him as the perfect litmus test for Sterling if he has aspirations of becoming featherweight champ.

“That would be a very fast path to it,” Sonnen said. “He’s not going to walk into 145 to a title fight, he understood that, unless he was the 135-pound champ. This would be the ultimate way to see how you are going to do at this weight class. Just from Aljo’s standpoint, I don’t know that I have been as excited to picture, in my mind, him walking out there and the buildup and the match and how we are going to break this down.”

With UFC CEO Dana White insisting that a fourth fight between Holloway and Volkanovski would be a hard sell, Sonnen thinks that leaves Holloway in a quandary. Sonnen said the idea of welcoming Sterling to featherweight would provide a fresh idea to the division.

“Moreover, what do you do with Max? Max is in a wildly confusing position,” Sonnen said.

“He is the ultimate gatekeeper,” Sonnen continued. “There has never been a gatekeeper as dominant as Max. It goes Volk, it goes Max, then there’s a big step down. Some fresh blood within the division, a new match, a new challenge, unexpected pairing, I love it.”

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Not ‘probably,’ Daniel Cormier says Aljamain Sterling ‘absolutely’ deserves Sean O’Malley rematch

Daniel Cormier thinks Aljamain Sterling should be given a rematch with UFC champ Sean O’Malley – but he knows the reality.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] should be rewarded an immediate rematch with [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag].

Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) lost his bantamweight title in a knockout loss to O’Malley at UFC 292 in August. After defeating Mike Grundy in a grappling match Saturday at Polaris 25, “The Funkmaster” called out O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC), imploring him to either accept a rematch with him or fight his teammate Merab Dvalishvili.

Cormier praised Sterling for his title reign, where he recorded a bantamweight division record of three title defenses over Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo. But Cormier says Sterling’s activity and acceptance to fight anyone is ultimately what’s harming his chances of getting an O’Malley rematch – even though he thinks he should get it.

“I love Aljamain Sterling. I love his ability to fight anybody, any time,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “He’s the champ. He don’t care. He’s still fighting these dudes. As much as that made me love him even more than I did before, it ultimately is going to be the thing that makes it hard for him to get what he ultimately wants: that title fight.

“If Sean O’Malley doesn’t feel like he wants to fight him, he will not be forced. The more the star grows, the more input he will have on what his journey looks like. Is it unfair that Aljo doesn’t get a title fight right away? Probably. With all those defenses? Absolutely. I’m taking that back. No ‘probably’ – absolutely, Aljamain should get a title fight. He should get a rematch. But he won’t, because O’Malley is not looking back.”

O’Malley has his sights on a rematch with Marlon Vera for his first title defense. “Chito” handed O’Malley the lone loss of his career over three years ago when he TKO’d him at UFC 252.

“Does Merab deserve a title shot? Absolutely,” Cormier said. “Does Merab deserve a title fight more than ‘Chito’ Vera?  Absolutely. What’s the likelihood of ‘Chito’ Vera fighting before Merab and Aljo for the title? Pretty, pretty damn certain.

“They’ve got the backstory, they’ve got the history, they fought the same night, and Sean O’Malley wants to fight him because he wants (to avenge his only loss). So ultimately, all the reasons that I chose to love Aljo or you did is ultimately what’s going to cost him.”

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Aljamain Sterling implores Sean O’Malley to give UFC title rematch or fight Merab Dvalishvili: ‘Stop ducking the top contenders’

Aljamain Sterling issued a stern message to UFC champ Sean O’Malley after his grappling win at Polaris 25.

If UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] makes his first title defense against Marlon Vera, [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] is going to have a problem with that.

O’Malley claimed the 135-pound championship Aug. 19 at UFC 292 after he finished Sterling 51 seconds into the second round of their headlining bout. Afterward, O’Malley turned his attention to a rematch with Vera, who handed “Suga” the only loss of his career three years ago.

It remains unclear what O’Malley will do for his first title defense, but Sterling and his teammate, [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag], sit at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the official UFC bantamweight rankings, while Vera is No. 6. Given that’s the case, it’s clear to Sterling what O’Malley’s options should be – and he shared that message following a grappling win over Mike Grundy on Saturday at Polaris 25.

“I’ve got a message for Mr. ‘Sugar Tits,’ because he’s still that to me,” Sterling said, calling out O’Malley. “Hey, give me my rematch or fight Merab. It’s that simple. Stop ducking the top contenders and be a man and be a real champ and fight the best of the best. That’s what I did. Now you need to turn around and do the same exact sh*t.”

Dvalishvili is on a nine-fight winning streak after winning a clean-sweep unanimous decision against former champ Petr Yan this past March. Vera, meanwhile, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 292, which put “Chito” back on track after a loss to fellow contender Cory Sandhagen in March.

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Aljamain Sterling: ‘I think Rob Font is going to shut the lights of Deiveson Figueiredo’

Aljamain Sterling doesn’t like Deiveson Figueiredo’s chances in his bantamweight debut.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] doesn’t like [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]’s chances in his bantamweight debut.

Former flyweight champion Figueiredo (21-3-1 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) meets Rob Font (20-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in a 135-pound clash Dec. 2 at a UFC Fight Night event.

Font is going to have a significant height and reach advantage on Figueiredo, which former UFC bantamweight champion Sterling thinks will lead to Figueiredo’s demise.

“I think Rob Font is going to shut the lights of Figueiredo,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “I think Figueiredo’s going to be a little bit too small,. even standing next to him in person. Figueiredo’s going to have the speed advantage.

“But I think once Font closes the distance – with his teeps, his long push kicks, and then uses that long jab, cuts off the cage where he’s kind of creeping towards you, long jab, and he creeps … boom … creeps again, stays in front of you – I think he’s going to be able to find those big hooks that he throws. Boom: Uppercut, and I think that’s going to be the fight. Figueiredo, obviously a former world champion, I think he’s going to make it interesting, but I still think the size is going to play a factor.”

Figueiredo is coming off a flyweight title loss to Brandon Moreno at UFC 283 in January. Font will also look to rebound after suffering a lopsided decision loss to Cory Sandhagen in August, when he was heavily outgrappled for five rounds.

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Video: Does Aljamain Sterling have a valid point about Sean O’Malley title rematch?

Aljamain Sterling wants a title rematch with Sean O’Malley, but also wants teammate Merab Dvalishvili to get his shot. Our panel discusses.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] wants a UFC bantamweight title rematch against Sean O’Malley – but he also wants his close friend and teammate Merab Dvalishvili to get a crack at the belt.

Sterling, who lost his title to O’Malley by second-round TKO at UFC 292, has been non-committal about his desire for an immediate rematch. “Funkmaster” has said he wants to get his title back, but he also may just move up to featherweight for his next bout, clearing the way for Dvalishvili to get a shot.

It appears Sterling may just wait to see what the UFC wants to do and go from there, but his status as a former champion who doesn’t know exactly what he wants to do could make the situation more complicated than it needs to be.

Does Sterling’s approach make sense or would it be better if he took a more definitive stance about what he wants to do next?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Farah Hannoun and Brian “Goze” Garcia answered that with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

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Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below on YouTube or in podcast form.

Mike Grundy fills in to meet ex-UFC champ Aljamain Sterling in Polaris 25 grappling match

Nathaniel Wood is out, and Mike Grundy is in to face former UFC champ Aljamain Sterling at Polaris 25.

Former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] has been dealt a curve ball.

Originally slated to meet fellow UFC fighter Nathaniel Wood, Sterling is now set to meet former UFC fighter [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] in a grappling match on Sept. 30 at Polaris 25 in Wales.

Sterling, 34, currently fights at 135 pounds. Grundy, 36, fights at featherweight.

Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) won the bantamweight title in March 2021 by disqualification against Petr Yan. After an injury layoff, he beat Yan again 13 months later. After title defenses against ex-champs T.J. Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo, Sterling ran into a problem.

At UFC 292 last month, he was knocked out by Sean O’Malley in the second round. He lost the belt, and had his nine-fight winning streak snapped. It’s unclear what his next move will be in MMA, but he’ll still compete in this grappling match despite the change in opponent on just 12 days’ notice.

Grundy (12-4 MMA) went 1-3 in four UFC appearances and was released from the promotion following a three-fight skid. He most recently lost in 57 seconds to Makwan Amirkhani by technical decision via anaconda choke in March 2022 at UFC Fight Night 204.

Spinning Back Clique LIVE: Grasso-Shevchenko 2 controversy, UFC/WWE merger, more

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel discusses Noche UFC fallout from Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko, the UFC-WWE merger and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts, with a new special start time of 11 a.m. ET, which will lead straight into our live-streamed coverage of the Dana White’s Contender Series 63 weigh-ins in Las Vegas.

This week’s panel of Farah Hannoun, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Mike Bohn, as well as special guest Nick Tylwalk, will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag]’s draw with [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] and the controversial scorecard that led to it.
  • Noche UFC seemed to be a successful themed event for the promotion. Should those happen more often?
  • Noche UFC wasn’t perfect, including a bad stoppage by Chris Tognoni that led to replay and a no contest. Was the issue handled right?
  • Former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] has been trying to make a case for a rematch with new champ [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]. Does he have a shot?
  • The UFC and WWE now are under the same parent umbrella, TKO, which became a publicly traded company this past week. Wrestling Junkie’s Nick Tylwalk will help us navigate the merger and who has more to gain.
  • And much more …

Aljamain Sterling invokes Israel Adesanya to make case for own UFC title rematch, unsure he’d accept

Former UFC champ Aljamain Sterling might have a salient point about an immediate title rematch, but would he even accept it if offered?

Former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] might have a salient point about getting an immediate title rematch, but would he even accept it if he was offered?

Speaking from vacation in Bali, Sterling said in a video posted to his YouTube channel Saturday that if Israel Adesanya was to get an immediate rematch following his lopsided title loss to Sean Strickland, he too should receive one following his second-round knockout loss to Sean O’Malley.

Immediately following UFC 293, UFC CEO Dana White said “absolutely” to Adesanya getting an immediate rematch and earlier this week was still on board. White, however, hasn’t been as enthused when speaking about Sterling, with O’Malley talking up a different rematch against Marlon Vera for December.

The way Sterling sees it, his worthiness is no worse than on the same level of Adesanya’s considering the way he lost to Strickland and the fact that he’s dropped two of his past three title fights compared to Sterling having a nine-fight winning streak, including a division record three consecutive title defenses, snapped.

“If we’re gonna talk about giving instant rematches,” Sterling said, “you give a guy who lost two fights in the same title reign – so he won the belt, he lost (to Alex Pereira), beat the guy, and then came back and lost again to another guy. So it’s like, how are you giving him another title shot? And then you tell me that I don’t deserve it? That’s all I’m saying.

“I’m not knocking Izzy. Izzy, if they give you the title shot, brother, take that shit and run. But what I’m saying is, how do you get it and I don’t? If the fans, Dana, whoever can justify that to me and I could be like, ‘All right, I can see the point’ – but I don’t see the point.”

While Sterling’s argument might be strong for the UFC to make him an offer, minutes later in the video he indicated he has “no desire” to fight before the year ends.

“It’s still 2023,” Sterling said. “I have no desire to fight for the rest of this year unless it was a very enticing offer.”

A man in the video interrupted Sterling at that moment.

“Like Sean in December?” he asked.

Sterling continued, “But even that, honestly, it wouldn’t even be unless there was some payday incentive or something else on top of that that would make me be like, ‘All right, I’m gonna chill out on the vacation and stop everything and go back to the gym.’ Dude, this is what life’s all about, man: working hard so you could actually enjoy the fruits of your labor.”

Sterling also has made the case for his good friend and training partner, Merab Dvalishvili, to get a shot at O’Malley instead of him, so what Sterling truly wants to happen is anyone’s guess.