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John McCarthy believes Sean O'Malley isn't ready for a title fight against Aljamain Sterling just yet. Like the majority of MMA fans and pundits, McCarthy didn't agree with the judges on O'Malley's split decision win over Petr Yan at UFC 280.
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While he's happy for O'Malley, McCarthy believes 'Sugar' should be smart enough not to pursue a fight against Sterling, the reigning bantamweight champion. Nevertheless, the former MMA referee agreed that O'Malley vs. Sterling is the fight to make from Dana White's perspective.
McCarthy recently claimed that if he was O'Malley, he would target one more fight before getting a title shot. The 60-year-old said on the Weighing In podcast:
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"I thought he had to come out and do a lot more to get that win but judges gave it to him. So good job for you Sean O'Malley, congratulations. Moving on, I dont think he's ready for Aljamain Sterling yet though. I don't think that's a smart fight for him to take at this time... If I'm Dana White, I'd make the fight, but if I'm Sean, I want another fight first."
Catch John McCarthy's comments (5:35) below:
Aljamain Sterling weighs in on Sean O'Malley's win over Petr Yan
Aljamain Sterling is part of a long list of fighters who believe Petr Yan was robbed off a decision win over Sean O'Malley at UFC 280. O'Malley himself said that he would have to go back and watch the bout, which he initially believed could have gone either way.
According to Sterling, even 'Sugar' was unconvinced about his split decision victory over Yan on Saturday night. The UFC bantamweight champion said during his recent appearance on The MMA Hour:
"I felt bad for Yan. I felt like he got, did think he got robbed. I think O'Malley was a little shocked and perplexed at the decision as well. I think it kind of caught him off guard that it was a split decision. I think it caught him more off guard that he won."
Catch Aljamain Sterling's comments (41:53) below:
Sterling retained his bantamweight title with a dominant win over former two-time champion T.J. Dillashaw in the co-main event of UFC 280. While the winner of Petr Yan vs. Sean O'Malley was initially expected to fight for the title next, UFC president Dana White hinted at a potential fight between Sterling and Henry Cejudo instead.
