“Maybe I f**k off” - Aljamain Sterling hints at leaving UFC bantamweight division if he doesn’t get a Sean O’Malley rematch

Aljamain Sterling's future may lie outside of the UFC bantamweight division, as the former champion recently shed light on his plans a month after his loss to Sean O'Malley.

'Funk Master' took on O'Malley in the main event of UFC 292 in August. It was a short turnaround for Sterling, who had defeated Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision at UFC 288 the previous month.

Prior to Aljamain Sterling's clash with Sean O'Malley, he had voiced his interest in moving to featherweight to challenge Alexander Volkanovski. But the knockout defeat momentarily put those plans on hold, and 'Funk Master' called for a rematch with 'Sugar' instead.

But given O'Malley's history with Marlon Vera, it seems that Aljamain Sterling may not receive an immediate rematch, and that 'Chito' will face 'Sugar' next.

'Funk Master' has campaigned for his teammate, Merab Dvalishvili, to be granted the next title shot if Sterling is not awarded a rematch.

But the promotion's propensity to put on matchups that will sell the most pay-per-views means that the likelihood of Dvalishvili getting a title shot next is slim, despite him being the No.1 contender.

Aljamain Sterling recently appeared on The MMA Hour, where he said this:

"We're gonna skip over everybody else, and go to number six. When there's a guy that, let's be honest, kicked Petr Yan's a** way worse than I did, way worse than Sean O'Malley did. Why is [Merab] not next? There's a storyline, he still has [O'Malley's] jacket. If you're gonna do December, Merab is ready." [22:04-22:24]

Sterling continued:

"If I'm getting a rematch, that's gonna happen, Merab is next. If I'm not getting a rematch, problem solved, Merab is next. And then maybe I just f**k off and go to 145 [pounds] if I'm not gonna get the rematch..." [22:28-22:42]

Watch the video below:

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Aljamain Sterling previews upcoming submission grappling match against Mike Grundy

Aljamain Sterling will make his return to combat sports at Polaris 25, a submission grappling event, on Sept. 30 in Wales, United Kingdom.

'Funk Master' holds a black belt in BJJ under esteemed coach Matt Serra, and Sterling also competed in the NCAA's third division for freestyle wrestling.

Sterling was initially set to take on UFC featherweight contender Nathaniel Wood, but he was recently replaced by former UFC fighter Mike Grundy.

Sterling previewed his upcoming clash with Grundy during his appearance on The MMA Hour, where he said this:

"I like Nathaniel, and that would have been a fun match 'cause he would've actually engaged in grappling... Now I got Mike Grundy, UFC vet, actually wrestled so I think it's gonna be a little bit different. I'm gonna have to slow his big, strong a** down..." [34:52-35:05]