.png)
Aljamain Sterling is of the belief that Dana White found great satisfaction in witnessing Sean O'Malley clinch the bantamweight title at UFC 292. The marquee bantamweight title fight that headlined UFC 292 in Boston emerged as one of the promotion's most significant matchups in the year. Sterling, known as "Funk Master," was making a bid to defend his championship for the fourth time.
However, in a surprising turn of events during the second round, he was felled by a well-timed counter shot from O'Malley, paving the way for O'Malley to seal the victory with ground strikes. Even before securing the bantamweight title, "Sugar" O'Malley was steadily ascending as a prominent star in the UFC.
“I know [Dana White] was definitely happy,” Sterling said on the MMA Hour. “How could he not be? The golden goose won…At the end of the day, I think we all knew the writing was on the wall and it was just up to me just to stick to the script. The one mistake I knew studying tape, I literally gave it to the guy on a silver platter.”
Regrettably, Sterling's tenure as the UFC champion was tainted by controversy right from the moment he acquired the title through disqualification at UFC 259. Despite amassing a compelling case as the greatest bantamweight fighter of all time, the 34-year-old struggled to garner the favor of fans and openly questioned whether the promotion fully supported him.
Initially, "Funk Master" had intentions to move up to the featherweight division following UFC 292 to facilitate his teammate Merab Dvalishvili's prospects in the bantamweight title picture. However, Sterling now appears to have postponed those plans in order to chase a rematch with O'Malley.
The UFC's plans for O'Malley's inaugural title defense currently remain shrouded in uncertainty. Nevertheless, the newly crowned champion exhibits an eagerness to rectify his sole career loss by taking on Marlon "Chito" Vera. This sets the stage for more captivating contests in the bantamweight division and continues to add intrigue to O'Malley's reign as champion.
Do you agree with Sterling's comments? Comment and Let us know. Follow fight.tv for all the latest news and updates