“More nervous about than most” - Sean O’Malley’s coach claims Aljamain Sterling bout raises graver concerns than Petr Yan fight

Sean O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, believes Aljamain Sterling is a tougher opponent for ‘Sugar’ than Petr Yan.

In October 2022, O’Malley silenced a handful of doubters by securing a split-decision win against Yan. Ten months later, ‘Sugar’ has an opportunity to become the UFC bantamweight champion by defeating Sterling on Saturday night.

O’Malley’s coach doesn’t lack confidence in his fighter to become a world champion at UFC 292. With that said, he’s also realistic about the dangers Sterling presents to a striker like ‘Sugar.’

During an interview on The MMA Hour, Welch had this to say when asked which matchup concerned him more between Yan and ‘FunkMaster’:

“Aljo, for sure. I’m pretty nervous about this fight just cause I know the type of athlete Aljo is. I know it’s five rounds. He’s an expert wrestler. He’s an expert grappler. His confidence is really high coming off beating up Henry [Cejudo], beating up TJ [Dillashaw], smoking Cory Sandhagen with ease.”

Welch concluded by saying:

“So, his confidence is really high. He’s got a great team. He’s got great cardio. Yeah, this fight I’m more nervous about the most, just because the stylistic matchup, but I know there is ways for us to win, and I’m just trying to focus on those.”

It’ll be easier said than done for O’Malley to become the UFC bantamweight champion. Since becoming the 135-pound king in March 2021, Sterling has secured title defenses against Yan, TJ Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo.

If ‘Funk Master’ adds ‘Sugar’ to his impressive resume, he would be widely considered the greatest bantamweight of all time.

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Sean O’Malley’s coach reveals what prevents ‘Sugar’ from letting fame get to his head

Sean O’Malley has emerged as one of the biggest superstars in the UFC. Although fame and fortune have benefits, negative influences can hinder an athlete’s career. Luckily, O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, has ensured ‘Sugar’ hasn’t fallen into this trap. Welch explained why during an interview with Submission Radio:

“You have a bunch of money, you turn into a star and the partying is just so so fun, but I think having a baby really helped Sean to dial-in coz he really wants to be a good dad and that was really a blessing in disguise."[6:18-8:10]

Sean O’Malley has a life-changing opportunity waiting inside the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The 28-year-old would take a massive step toward evolving into a worldwide superstar by becoming the UFC bantamweight champion. Only time will tell if he can dethrone Aljamain Sterling.