UFC 292: O’Malley Looks to Complete Journey Against Dominant Sterling

By
Gabriel Gonzalez
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 18: (L-R) Opponents Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley face off during the UFC 292 ceremonial weigh-in at TD Garden on August 18, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Aljamain Sterling is looking to tie the bow on what has been a stellar championship run at bantamweight, but next generation star Sean O’Malley is looking to fulfill his own promise at UFC 292.

If this is the last bantamweight fight for Aljamain Sterling, then it’s time to appreciate what he’s done with who was in front of him.  For one, he dispatched several longtime veterans en route to the title in besting Cory Sandhagen, Jimmie Rivera, Pedro Munhoz, and former champion Renan Barao.  It was a road that was not without stumbles; a two fight skid in 2016 and ending up on the bad side of a highlight reel knockout to Marlon Moraes threatened to derail his ambitions.  Sterling would endure and overcome the setbacks, none of which were greater than dealing with the criticism of winning the title in 2021 by disqualification in a bout most felt he was on the way to losing.

But rather than wilt under the pressure and the physical struggles of a neck procedure that sidelined him for a year, “The Funkmaster” responded with an impressive victory that removed doubt in the rematch with Petr Yan.  He followed that up with a lights out victory over former champion TJ Dillashaw, that was marred only due to the fact that Dillashaw was severely compromised going into the fight.  This year, he delivered arguably the best performance of his career when he defeated former two-division champion Henry Cejudo to retain his title.  Sterling has long teased a permanent move up to featherweight, and it would be difficult to argue that it’s time should he successfully turn away the top up-and-comer in the weight class.

A whole six years have passed since a fresh faced hopeful with untouched hair named Sean O’Malley delivered a first round knockout en route to becoming a breakout star of Dana White’s Contender Series.  Since then, “Suga” and the program have grown on parallel paths.  The show has become the premiere vehicle for prospects both domestic and beyond to reach the UFC while O’Malley has emerged as arguably Gen Z’s favorite fighter as he commands an established fan base despite barely entering his first UFC title fight on Saturday.

O’Malley’s hiccups have come few and far in-between, with his absence from 2018 to 2020 due to a drug test and his loss to Marlon “Chito” Vera being the only setbacks in what has been one of the most successful developments of a young fighter ever for the UFC.  He has stopped fellow prospects and veterans alike for a number of highlight reel finishes and even historic beatdowns.  For those who criticized his level of opposition, he silenced the critics in his last bout in winning a bout against formidable former champion Petr Yan last October.  In the time since that fight in October, O’Malley has now poised himself on the verge of stardom or a noticeable step back.  He can not be the first DWCS alum to win a UFC title (Jamahal Hill has that distinction) so his route to history is by establishing dominance in what can be argued as the UFC’s deepest division.

A Sterling victory is expected to see him go up to featherweight where no doubt he will look to set up a fight with the title holder, which no doubt he hopes will be the dominant Alexander Volkanovski.  An O’Malley victory would likely set up a fight with Sterling’s teammate Merab Dvalishvili who is on a nine fight win-streak.  Notably, in the event of a vacant title situation, several big name contenders such as Sandhagen, Cejudo, Marlon “Chito” Vera, and others would all be in the mix for a shot at the belt given their status in the division.

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