Sean O’Malley has dismissed Aljamain Sterling‘s injury concerns ahead of their scheduled UFC bantamweight bout at UFC 292 in August, saying that Sterling should be ready in four months and is not calling the shots.
Sean O’Malley has expressed a lack of sympathy for Aljamain Sterling after the bantamweight champion claimed he needed to monitor his lingering injuries before their scheduled bout at UFC 292 in August. O’Malley and Sterling were set to fight after Sterling defended his UFC belt against former dual-division champion Henry Cejudo in May.
Despite Sterling’s recent comments regarding his injuries and the need to see how his body reacts, the fight has been confirmed for August, with UFC president Dana White insisting that the fight will go ahead as planned. O’Malley, however, has pushed back against Sterling’s apparent attempts to dictate the situation.
“He acts like he calls the shots,” O’Malley stated on his video podcast. “It’s not like I told Dana, ‘Hey, f**king run it in August. I run this sh*t.’ I said, ‘Hey, Uncle Dana.’ I didn’t call him daddy like (Sterling) said. I said, ‘Hey, Uncle Dana. When do you want me to beat up Aljo?’ And it happened to be August.”
Sterling has sent mixed signals regarding his readiness for the fight, but still dared O’Malley to fight him on a different card in July. O’Malley, however, has maintained that he’s listening to the UFC and that he’ll fight Sterling when the organization determines that the fight should take place.
While some controversy has surrounded the upcoming fight between O’Malley and Sterling, the UFC seems intent on proceeding with the previously planned schedule. Both fighters will need to be at the top of their game if they hope to emerge victorious from what promises to be an intense and high-pressure bout.