BOSTON – Sean O'Malley strolled into his UFC 292 pre-fight news conference with a tie-dye afro, but it may not even be his hair that separates him most from the rest of the pack.
From the start, O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has largely paved a unique route to the top, a somewhat fast-tracked process that has become the target of many detractors and haters – never more vocal than days prior to his UFC 292 main event challenge vs. bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC).
“I’d be lying if I said, ‘No (this isn’t what I expected),'” O’Malley told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday at UFC 292 media day. “It definitely feels like it’s playing out that way. I still have to get into an octagon with Aljamain Sterling, the best bantamweight of all time, and do that magic.
