"Maybe this is my Conor-Khabib moment” - Aljamain Sterling reflects on ‘hasty’ decision to fight Sean O'Malley amid featherweight return

Sean O'Malley realized his dream of becoming a UFC champion after knocking out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. 'Sugar' snapped Sterling's nine-fight win streak in the process, and the former bantamweight king has now reflected on his decision to face O'Malley last August.

'Funk Master' had successfully defended his title against Henry Cejudo in a grueling five-round war at UFC 288, just three months prior to UFC 292. His decision to accept a matchup with O'Malley was met with some surprise by fans, who felt the turnaround may be too quick.

Ahead of the former champion's return to the octagon, set for UFC 300, he has reflected on his decision to accept the fight. Sterling was recently interviewed by Ariel Helwani, where he said this:

"The carrot being dangled that, and obviously the UFC doesn't know and I don't know, I'm just being told, 'This is gonna be your biggest payday.' So I'm thinking of that and like, maybe this is my Conor-Khabib moment. Maybe this is the one I can't afford to miss because it sets me up for life. So in hindsight, I would have never accepted the fight and given my body the time to recover. To properly make 135 [pounds] again, even though it still takes me about 10-12 weeks to get down the right way."

Listen to Aljamain Sterling discuss his loss to Sean O'Malley below (10:55):

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Sean O'Malley believes he will put on a "never seen before" display against Marlon Vera

Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera are set to headline a stacked UFC 299 card, which is scheduled to take place in Miami on Mar. 9. It will be the first defense of O'Malley's reign as champion, and he has predicted a career-best performance against 'Chito' in their much-anticipated rematch.

Vera currently holds the only win over the bantamweight champion, when the pair met at UFC 252 in August 2020. 'Sugar' suffered a TKO loss, however, he has labeled the defeat as a "fluke" due to the peroneal nerve in his leg being damaged by Vera with a calf kick.

Ahead of their rematch, O'Malley was interviewed by The Schmo, where he predicted the following:

"We're gonna see something that we've seen before, which is a KO. But I just think that this level of performance I'm about to put on is gonna be something just unseen before. The reason is 'cause 'Chito' is so tough, so durable. So I'm gonna have to hit him with so many right hands."

Catch Sean O'Malley's comments below (1:08):