No. 2-ranked bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley had a lot to say about reigning 135-pound titleholder Aljamain Sterling ahead of their UFC 292 pay-per-view (PPV) title fight, which takes place this Sat. night (Aug. 19, 2023) at TD Garden in Boston.
Now it’s time to answer for it.
“I want him to pay for everything he said, all the trash talk, everything, all his Dana White privilege,” Sterling said during last weekend’s Q&A (via MMA Fighting). “I didn’t have none of that, and I can’t wait to take it out on him. My prediction: second-round TKO. But if he gives me his neck, he’s got that long ‘Daddy Long Neck’ out there, so if he leaves that out there I’m going to strangle his ass.”
O’Malley was critical of Sterling’s hesitation when it came time to book their UFC 292 headliner, insisting “Funk Master” could easily make a four-month turnaround with better discipline. The champ is coming off a UFC 288 title defense against former champion Henry Cejudo last May in Newark.
“Sugar” hasn’t competed since squeaking past Petr Yan at UFC 280 in fall 2022.
“It’s my second main event, it’s against a very, very big name who’s got a lot of Instagram followers that are kids who play Fortnite all day long, so it’s a good opportunity to showcase my skill set to those younger crowds and take all his little fans,” Sterling said. “That’s really what it’s all about. It’s a great opportunity. When I take this man down, that naked mole rat is getting smashed. Smashed.”
For the rest of the UFC 292 fight card and PPV lineup click here.