Sean O’Malley discussed his point of view after seeing Aljamain Sterling and Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 290.
On Saturday, July 8, the UFC ended Internation Fight Week with an action-packed fight card that featured plenty of celebrities and fighters in attendance. Among those enjoying the Las Vegas spectacle was O’Malley, who ran into a past and upcoming opponent.
During a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow, O’Malley discussed his impressions of Sterling after seeing him at UFC 290:
“Aljo was there [at UFC 290]. He definitely doesn’t look like, I know he’s saying he’s 168. He’s not huge, he looks like he’s 160 maybe… He didn’t look that big. I’m not saying he’s small. He’s definitely big, he’s jacked… He doesn’t look super heavy.”
On August 19, O’Malley looks to create history by dethroning Sterling, the reigning bantamweight world champion. Both fighters have been underestimated in their respective careers. With that said, the UFC 292 main event provides the opportunity for each world-class bantamweight to further silence the doubters.
Sean O’Malley and his coach detail their interaction with Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 290
Aljamain Sterling wasn’t the only fighter Sean O’Malley saw at UFC 290. Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera was in attendance, and O’Malley was seated in a similar section as his former opponent. During the same podcast episode, Tim Welch, the coach of ‘Suga,’ mentioned Vera by saying:
“We had to awkwardly walk by Chito. He was sitting there like [staring at me]. I was like, what the f*ck is he, if he punches me, he’s sitting down, that’s not a good spot to punch. Did you see his face? Did you look at his face?”
O’Malley responded:
“I didn’t think it was that awkward. The thing is, it’s awkward when you beat somebody, so he probably felt insecure. I already f*cking beat him once… He wouldn’t move his legs at first [as we walked by]. I was like just move your legs, what are we doing here? I’m trying to walk past ya.”
For those that don’t know, O’Malley has an ongoing joke about being ‘Chito’ in their UFC fight. In fact, ‘Chito’ defeated ‘Sugar’ with a first-round TKO in August 2020. The two fighters have gone their separate ways, but it seems inevitable that they will fight in the Octagon again.
In the meantime, O’Malley is focused on his upcoming title fight against Sterling. Meanwhile, Vera is locked in for his bout against Pedro Munhoz, which is on the same night, August 19, as ‘Sugar.’
