Needless to say, Boston was not Aljamain Sterling country at Thursday’s UFC 292 press conference.
Rather, bantamweight title challenger Sean O’Malley, who has been fast-tracked to fame after winning his way into the UFC on the Contender Series, was the fan fave between the main event pair.
Thursday’s presser had heated exchanges from both sides. O’Malley, questioned about Sterling teammate Merab Dvalishvili wearing his jacket after having it handed to him after UFC 288 earlier this year, suggested that “the only reason anyone knows Merab’s name is because I handed him my jacket. That’s it.”
Asked whether he was the A-side in the fight despite being the challenger, the “Sugar Show” fighter replied by saying “I feel like Aljo’s fighting for the Sugar belt. I feel like I’m the A-side, it’s pretty obvious. But I’ve still got to go in there and knock his ass out. It just keeps getting better and better and bigger and bigger.”
Throughout, Sterling laughed off chants of “Aljo sucks.” “Aljo has like seven people yelling ‘Aljo,’ it’s pathetic,” observed O’Malley at one point.
Sterling, a champion who has been harshly criticized, and not always fairly, since winning the UFC bantamweight title over two years ago, was not taking any of it sitting down. Literally, as he rose from his seat on more than one occasion to address the crowd.
“Where the real questions at? Who has this motherf*cker fought? Who has this guy fought?” questioned the champ. “He is going to get exposed on Saturday night. Exposed! I cannot wait. I cannot wait.”
When the subject of Sterling possibly moving up to featherweight was brought up, O’Malley suggested the champ wanted no part of 145lb great Alexander Volkanovski.
“The difference between me and you Sean is that I actually embrace the challenges. I actually try to put my neck on the line and take the big fights. Who do you take?” Sterling fired back. “The easy fights. ‘Oh I’m not getting paid enough, I don’t want to fight this guy because he’s not a big name, I’m not getting paid enough for that. I’m not going to take that fight.’ You little b*tch-ass.”
Later, Sterling suggested there would be no “Happy Dad” for O’Malley after their encounter. “After this fight, he’s going to be drinking Sad Dad. Saddy dad.” Referring to O’Malley as “Sugar Stevia” he added “High fructose corn syrup is getting poured out in the Boston river.”
Asked by Cageside Press whether it was knockout or bust on Saturday at the TD Garden, O’Malley espoused the belief that he had more than one way to win.
“Yeah of course. Every single fight I go into, I’m looking for a knockout, but I’m always capable of winning every single way,” he stated. “Just like everybody pretty much that steps into the octagon is. I definitely have the tools to win in multiple ways. Knockout’s just the way I prefer.”
UFC 292, headlined by Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley, goes down Saturday, August 19, 2023 at the TD Garden in Boston, MA.
