UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling admits that rising star Sean O’Malley has “earned” a title shot. In a recent interview with The MMA Hour, Sterling pointed out that “Suga” Sean’s decision win over Petr Yan at UFC 280 puts him in prime position for a run at the bantamweight strap.
“O’Malley did earn it – I can’t deny that. Even Dana [White] said you beat the No. 1 contender so it made sense and then somehow, some way he backtracked.
Aljamain Sterling Wants O’Malley Next: “He Earned It”
I’m not sure if he thought my fight wasn’t going to go that way, and I’m not sure if he thought the Yan-O’Malley fight was going to go that way as far as being so competitive. He probably thought somebody was going to get stopped and then, ‘Holy s*** this guy definitely needs to fight for the title!’
That’s usually how it works. It’s usually the performance, but it was a great performance from both guys. Both guys fought their asses off. They got ‘Fight of the Night.’ So I don’t see why either one should have been denied that follow up claim that Dana made that whoever won would be next and he threw Cejudo in there.”
Sterling also sang Sean O’Malley’s praises. Although Sterling is primarily a grappler, he looks forward to squaring off with an elite striker, particularly after he fared so well against mutual opponent Petr Yan in their last fight.
“If O’Malley is the biggest name right now coming off the win, now the No. 1 guy, I don’t see why he shouldn’t get the fight. People are going to say ‘you want the easier fight.’ I don’t get how that fight’s easy? He’s long, he’s rangy, he’s got great footwork. He can crack. I don’t see how it’s an easy fight by any means.”
Ultimately, however, Aljamain Sterling is taking a moment to decompress before his next title defense. “If we’re finally going to use the merit system, it should actually be O’Malley. That’s what I think.
I don’t plan on coming back until midway next year. That’s honestly how I’m feeling right now. I defended the belt. I fought in April. I fought in October. I think I earned to take some time off and let the division kind of play out and see where things are at. I’m going to be training but I want to take some time to enjoy life a little bit before it’s passing me by.”
Do you think O’Malley vs Sterling is the fight to make? Let us know in the comments.
