It’s only been a few days since Aljamain Sterling fought, but he already has next opponent lined up.
“I Guess That’s What We’re Doing Now”
The UFC Bantamweight Champion is confirmed to fight top contender Sean O’Malley in his next outing, with both fighters emphatically squaring off after Sterling’s successful title defense against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288.
Sterling has since reacted to his rather viral face-off with ‘Suga’, referencing it may have been an after-effect of the UFC’s parent company Endeavor buying the WWE (which is known for these sorts of antics).
“I mean, we did sign over the WWE, right? So, I guess that’s what we’re doing now,” Sterling said on The MMA Hour. “So, I don’t know. At that moment, it’s normally to build the next fight anyway, so I think we did and accomplish what we were trying to do. At the end of the day, it kinda like did its job to serve this purpose.”
“Sean Doesn’t Have A Say” In When They Fight
In said promotional encounter, O’Malley told Sterling to keep his weight in check and that he’d fight him in August. However, the champ says the colorful-haired challenger doesn’t call the shots around here.
“Sean doesn’t have a say in anything,” Sterling said of O’Malley’s demands. “He listens to Daddy Dana. He’s gonna do as daddy. Dana says. Sean, I know you’re out there watching right now. How do I look? Cause I’m gonna look good whooping that ass, baby. I’m gonna look good whooping that ass. September, I know he’s like, ‘oh, keep your weight down, don’t get too big’. Shut up man. All these guys crying about my weight, like eat more food, lift more weights. Stop b*tching about me, dude.
“Like, f*cking get off my jock, dude. We fight, I make the weight, I show up. Like what are you bitching about? Like, shut up. Five rounds, I think this is gonna be O’Malley’s first five-round camp. So let’s see how he looks in a five-round fight, in a five round training camp. Let’s see how he feels. I don’t think this fight’s really going past one [round] anyway.
Sterling went on.
“I know he was saying, I don’t need to really train because ‘I’m gonna stop him’. I’m gonna fold you up in one. I just need you to make one mistake. Throw one bullshit kick though, one miscalculated punch where I slip, I get my head inside, lock my hands. Dude, you ain’t Henry Cejudo, you ain’t locking me down, taking me down early in the first round and making me have to fight back to my feet. I’m gonna ‘Khabib’ that ass so good man and I can not wait.
Sterling Refuses To Call O’Malley ‘Easy Money’
Don’t get the wrong idea though. Aljamain Sterling isn’t taking Sean O’Malley and his seasoned striking lightly.
“I don’t wanna say easy money cause I could easily get slept and I’m very, very cognizant of that with just the way he’s super accurate,” Sterling continued. “But I think my IQ, my training, I should be able to see everything coming and I just know stylistically just how strong I am physically in that clinch position. I get there, I know I’m gonna take him down and take his back and I’m probably gonna flatten him out and beat the sh*t outta him.”
