Former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling recently shared his thoughts on the low pay-per-view sales that his fight against Sean O'Malley for the bantamweight title at UFC 292 generated.
'Funk Master' did a livestream session on his YouTube channel, where he touched upon various topics including his upcoming fight. At one point, Sterling spoke about the UFC 292's pay-per-view figures.
The 34-year-old revealed a conversation he had with his partner, where he expressed his disappointment with the low pay-per-view sales of the event. Sterling shared if he had known that O'Malley was not a big box-office draw, he would have taken his time to fight him instead of making such a quick turnaround. He said:
“I got the pay-per-view numbers, and me and her were going through it, and I’m just like, ‘These are the numbers that this guy was trying to say he’s this big pay-per-view star?’ When I saw the numbers, I literally said to her, ‘If I had any idea this is what the numbers would have been, if I could have predicted that this is what it would have been, my ass would have waited and taken my vacation then.’” [h/t mmamania.com]
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Check out his comments from the 13:34 mark below:
Sterling's statement resulted in some backlash from MMA fans, who took to social media to criticise the 34-year-old.
Instead of firing back at the fans, Sterling took the high road and just expressed his amusement at the comments.
What's next for Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley?
Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley were both last seen in the octagon when they faced each other at UFC 292. 'Suga' rose to the occasion that night and knocked Sterling out in the second round to become the new bantamweight king.
Now, O'Malley is all set to defend his title against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. The event will take place on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Sterling, on the other hand, is all set to make his featherweight debut in the UFC, as he will lock horns against Calvin Kattar at UFC 300. The event will take place on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.