Aljamain Sterling has called out Sean O'Malley's popularity wondering what the fans see in him and why they gravitate towards him.
'Funk Master' is set to face Sean O'Malley at the TD Garden In Boston, Massachusetts On August 19, 2023. The pair will face off in the main event at UFC 292 with the bantamweight title on the line. Sterling is fresh off a win against Henry Cejudo and will be looking to continue his dominant streak. Ahead of the fight, he criticized O'Malley's popularity saying:
"I’m like I don’t even understand whow people want that guy to be the Champ. But that's just my personal assessment of him. Maybe they just like that he plays Fortnite, maybe I need to play Fortnite and that makes me more popular...He has no wit, there’s nothing Conor-like about him, other than that he has tattoos and he tatted his face like six nine (Tekashi 69).”
Take a look at a clip from the interview:
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Sean O'Malley is a fan favorite because people can relate to how honest and real he is on all his platforms. The same can not be said for Aljamain Sterling who has a fair share of haters ever since the controversy with Petr Yan, on how he became champion.
Sean O'Malley calls Aljamain Sterling the bantamweight GOAT
Sean O'Malley is being very realistic about his upcoming fight against Aljamain Sterling. Instead of pretending like it will be a walk in the park for him, 'Sugar' is taking the fight seriously. He acknowledges that his opponent is one of the best grapplers in the UFC, having successfully fought off even Henry Cejudo. In an interview with Bloody Elbow, he had this to say:
"I'm fighting a prime Bantamweight GOAT right now. He is the best bantamweight the UFC has ever had. He's defended the belt more than anyone. He's in his prime."
Take a look at the tweet by MMAJunkie:
Sean O'Malley is aware of the task ahead of him. Although his wrestling is not that bad, Aljamain Sterling is just one of the best grapplers the bantamweight division has ever seen. O'Malley, on the other hand, is one of the best strikers the division has ever seen, both fighters are the best in two completely different aspects of the sport and will be fighting for the title on August 19.