Aljamain Sterling's upcoming headlining bout against Sean O'Malley at UFC 292 is just another example of quick turnarounds and familiar opponents in his career.
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Aljamain Sterling’s upcoming headlining bout against Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 is just another example of quick turnarounds and familiar opponents in his career. Sterling holds the belief that his long-standing promoter has consistently hindered his path to success, despite now finding himself in the spotlight as the main event for his second UFC pay-per-view in a span of three months.
The upcoming headliner on August 19 holds much more significance for Sterling than simply rushing into his next fight. It serves as another opportunity for him to prove his critics wrong and silence his most formidable skeptics by decisively defeating an opponent who he believes has been granted preferential treatment.
“I’m looking at him and seeing what he’s doing to the guys,” Sterling said Thursday on Jake Paul’s “B.S.” video podcast. “He’s fighting guys that are stationary, standing right in front of him. He takes his time, he lets them pick their shots, and then he picks his shots and he lays the better shots. I’m like, if you get a guy who’s actually trying to wrestle him, it’s a different fight, man. … You get a guy with good footwork, it’s not the same fight, man.
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Sterling emphasized that the perceived favoritism and preferential treatment in certain situations tend to bother him, not necessarily because of his opponent. He describes his relationship with the UFC as akin to that of a father figure, where he feels the need to prove himself and show his worth.
“So things like that bother me, and it’s not because of him. I almost feel like maybe the UFC is almost like my pappy, you know. So I look at them like my dad, where I almost feel like I need to prove something to pops, to be like, ‘Oh yeah, you think this, ‘I’m gonna show you motherfucker,’ for me.”
Back in June, Sterling made history by achieving the record for the most consecutive bantamweight title defenses with a split decision victory over the former two-division UFC champion, Henry Cejudo, at UFC 288. Despite widespread predictions that Cejudo’s wrestling prowess would overpower the 33-year-old champion, Sterling impressively held his own and surpassed expectations by outmatching and outworking the Olympic gold medalist.
Among the adversaries Sterling has faced inside the octagon, a few have irked him, with former champion Petr Yan being the most notable. Sterling secured the bantamweight belt through a disqualification victory against Yan, and later defended it with a decision win over the Russian. However, it is O’Malley who has ignited an even stronger drive within Sterling to emerge triumphant.
“I felt like the UFC had him as this f****** golden goose that was gonna make all these eggs for them,” Sterling said. “And I don’t know, I was like, ‘Dude, he’s not as good as you guys think.’”
Due to O’Malley’s popularity, he has secured consistent placements on the main cards of UFC pay-per-view events. However, Sterling intends to demonstrate that popularity does not necessarily equate to skill and talent in the world of MMA.
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