Former UFC champion, Daniel Cormier discusses the bantamweight title picture and who should challenge Sean O’Malley for his title.
Despite being an underdog, O’Malley dispatched of Sterling in just the second round, landing a counter right hand that sent Sterling to the mat. Prior to this, Sterling had an impressive run as champion despite what was a rocky start, capturing the title with a disqualification win over Pet Yan.
O’Malley, who the UFC has positioned to be a star, now has call over the division and with his 2020 loss and ongoing feud with Marlon Vera, it seems that the new champion is unlikely to go with the immediate rematch.
Daniel Cormier talks bantamweight title picture
While Vera has had a decent run over the past few years, Merab Dvalishvili certainly deserves a title shot and there could be an argument to be made for Sterling to get his rematch. Many believe that Vera should not be next in line in comparison to those ranked above him
Fighter turned UFC commentator, Cormier, gave his take on the bantamweight title landscape via his YouTube channel. Cormier said that while Sterling probably should be next, its likely that he won’t be.
“I love Aljamain Sterling. I love his ability to fight anybody, any time,” Cormier said. “He’s the champ. He don’t care. He’s still fighting these dudes. As much as that made me love him even more than I did before, it ultimately is going to be the thing that makes it hard for him to get what he ultimately wants: that title fight. (H/T MMA Junkie)
“If Sean O’Malley doesn’t feel like he wants to fight him, he will not be forced,” he continued. “The more the star grows, the more input he will have on what his journey looks like. Is it unfair that ‘Aljo’ doesn’t get a title fight right away? Probably. With all those defences? Absolutely. I’m taking that back. No ‘probably’ — absolutely, Aljamain should get a title fight. He should get a rematch. But he won’t, because O’Malley is not looking back.”
Do you agree with Daniel Cormier?