"Ain't as easy as people say it is" - Aljamain Sterling weighs in on Sean O'Malley's inactivity since becoming champion

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has weighed in on Sean O'Malley's run as the 135-pound champ so far, as well as provided an update on his own return to the octagon.

'Funk Master' and O'Malley faced off for the bantamweight title back in August, headlining the UFC 292 pay-per-view. Sterling was hoping to defend the belt for a record-extending fourth time, whereas 'Sugar' was featuring in a title bout for the first time in his career.

After a long and somewhat bitter build-up between the two fighters, their UFC 292 clash was expected to be a seriously high-level affair, with Sterling's wrestling going head-to-head against O'Malley's striking.

The contest ultimate fell in the way of Sean O'Malley, who nullified Aljamain Sterling's wrestling from the off and lured him into a fist-fight. He then caught the longtime champ with a huge shot in the second round before finishing him with ground-and-pound to win the title.

Now four months later, Aljamain Sterling has given his thoughts on Sean O'Malley's reign as the champion so far.

Sterling responded to a fan on X (formerly Twitter), who stated that they missed 'Funk Master' as the champion because O'Malley has yet to defend the belt and likely won't across the next three pay-per-views.

The former champ wrote back:

"It ain’t as easy as people try to say it is. Appreciate it and I’ll be back for a #2024 Return."

Catch the tweet here:

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Aljamain Sterling reacts to Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury

Aljamain Sterling has weighed in on Francis Ngannou's stunning performance against Tyson Fury.

Ngannou was making his professional boxing debut when he stepped into the ring to face the lineal heavyweight champion on October 28. What was expected to be a routine win for 'The Gypsy King' proved anything but, however, as Ngannou went toe-to-toe with Fury across all 10 rounds and even dropped him in the third.

As the judges' scorecards were read, many fans and members of the boxing elite felt 'The Predator' had done enough for the victory, but he controversially missed out on causing the upset by split decision in Saudi Arabia.

Sterling, like many fans and fighters, felt as though Francis Ngannou had done enough for the victory. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Sterling stated that the decision is further evidence of what's 'ruining the sport':

"Francis Ngannou is the new heavyweight champion of the world. He should be, I think the whole world knows he should be. Boxing judges continuously ruin the sport. One judge got it right though...In my opinion I thought he won the fight. A lot of people thought he won the fight."

Catch Sterling's comments here: