BOSTON – Sean O'Malley rose to the occasion and knocked out Aljamain Sterling to claim the bantamweight title at UFC 292 under circumstances that were les than ideal.
Although he achieved an essentially flawless victory en route to a second-round TKO of Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) in the headlining bout at TD Garden, the weeks leading up to O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) stepping in the octagon were filled with hardship and adversity.
An upper body muscle injury plagued O’Malley’s preparation, he said, and completely eliminated the ability to prepare for Sterling’s high-level grappling over the final six weeks of camp.
“I haven’t grappled in six weeks,” O’Malley told MMA Junkie and other reporters after his UFC 292 title win. “I had a muscle strain and I literally couldn’t grapple for six weeks. (I) couldn’t MMA spar. I was the main event in Boston. There was no chance I was pulling out. But we haven’t grappled in six weeks. Six weeks (ago) today, I had a muscle strain right under my rib and I couldn’t grapple. So coming into this fight and fighting Aljo, when I did interviews, I was saying, ‘Life or death: I cannot get taken down,’ because I didn’t know if (the injury) would hold up – and it’s f*cking sore right now.
“Dealing with those mental demons coming into this fight knowing I was injured-ish – we didn’t grapple one day the last six weeks.”
Given his limitations, the fight unfolded perfect for O’Malley. He avoided being taken down on both of Sterling’s attempts, then lowered the boom early in the second with a perfect counter right hand that spelled the beginning of the end.
Stopping Sterling in the manner he did was something O’Malley visualized countless times, but he said it was “surreal” to see it actually play out in reality.
“My main goal was to not let him take me down, and I knew if I could keep it on the feet, I could knock him out,” O’Malley said. “I thought he was way too confident that he could just come in and grab me. I don’t know if he’s ever sparred someone as good as I am, or fought someone as good as I am. I truly believe I am a level above most people in the striking department.”
Now that a new era has begun in the 135-pound division, O’Malley is mulling how he wants to begin his title reign. He said he’s keen to be active and make his first defense at UFC 296 in Las Vegas on Dec. 16, and the stars are aligning for him to get a chance to avenge his only career loss against Marlon Vera, who beat Pedro Munhoz at UFC 292.
“Just the way he acts – he’s so annoying,” O’Malley said. “He’s not funny and he tries to be. He’s so ugly. He dresses like an idiot. It’s like, ‘God, do I really have to give this guy an opportunity?’ But l’m like, ‘I’ll probably just go out there and whoop his ass and make a lot of money.”
By all appearances, Vera (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC) is ready and willing to pounce on the opportunity (via X):
Fighting for a world tittle very soon. pic.twitter.com/NWakx6CUkl
— C H🖕🏽T O🇪🇨V E R A (@chitoveraUFC) August 20, 2023
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
