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The most statistically successful bantamweight title reign in UFC history came to a sudden end on Saturday when Aljamain Sterling dropped the strap to Sean O’Malley in the UFC 292 headliner.
After racking up a divisional record three consecutive title defenses, Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) saw his time on top halted courtesy of a perfect counter right hand from O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) that led to the second-round TKO result at TD Garden in Boston. It was a heart-breaking moment for Sterling, who had to take the most difficult road possible to reach champion status then hold onto it for as long as he did.
The true character of a person is revealed in their lowest moments, however, and Sterling showed nothing but class, honesty and vulnerability in the aftermath of his defeat. He faced the music like a true competitor and upstanding human, and all the people that threw dirt on his name about the way he won the belt and conducted himself as champion need to watch his post-fight press conference (embedded above). If you don’t finish that video feeling like you’ve probably been a bit harsh to Sterling in recent years, then your perspective of him is probably permanently skewed.
Nevertheless, it’s a difficult situation for Sterling. He called for an immediate rematch against O’Malley, but good luck with that. Both O’Malley and UFC president Dana White pretty much blew off that idea when it was presented post-fight, and anyone who has been paying close enough attention knows the UFC is not going to go out of its way to do Sterling any favors. He knows that, too.
That leaves him with a big decision to make, and two obvious options are in play: Stay at 135 pounds and try to win his way into a rematch with O’Malley, or make a long-discussed move up to featherweight. Both possibilities come with their own set of challenges.
If Sterling, 34, stays put and wants to chase O’Malley, where does he fit in the queue? Marlon Vera is seemingly headed to the next title shot. He won’t fight his teammate Merab Dvalishvili, and has already been a roadblock in the way of his friend’s title hopes for long enough. Cory Sandhagen is on his own title trajectory, though there could be interest in a rematch with Sterling already holding a quick submission win over him.
There just doesn’t seem to be a right or obvious answer in this division for Sterling.
But are his prospects at featherweight any better? If Sterling had won this fight and moved up, he would’ve have a great argument to go right into a champion-vs-champion fight with Alexander Volkanovski. That’s off the table now, though, because it’s highly unlikely Sterling would be granted a title fight in a higher division after a knockout loss.
His status as a former UFC champ could buy him some good will, however, and maybe Sterling could jump right into a matchup with a high-ranked contender like a Brian Ortega or Arnold Allen. If he wins that, then he would be in business.
It’s a crossroads moment for Sterling in the aftermath of losing his title, but he’s an intelligent man, and whichever path he chooses, it will surely be well thought out and not made in haste.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
