Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley, who share two opponents in common, will be headlining UFC 292 in Boston with Pedro Munhoz, who has previously fought both, predicting a win for Sterling by points.
Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley, the two top-rated fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), share only two opponents in common. One of them, Pedro Munhoz, will partake in UFC 292 in Boston on Saturday night. Munhoz, who has the record for most fights in the UFC bantamweight division, is scheduled to face Marlon Vera just hours before the match between O’Malley and Sterling.
“It’s going to be a great fight because Sean O’Malley has shown how good and versatile he is,” said Munhoz, recognizing both contenders’ skill set. He applauded O’Malley’s resilience against Petr Yan and Sterling’s tactical approach when he fought him. Muñoz’s fights with Sterling and O’Malley took place in June 2019 and 13 months later, where an unintentional eye-poke from O’Malley in round two scratched his cornea, resulting in a no-contest.
Munhoz shared his prediction for the bout, saying, “I think Aljamain wins this fight by points by a close margin because I don’t see such a big technical difference between them”. He added, “I see Aljamain Sterling with a bit more experience, but I also see Sean O’Malley’s precision with the strikes making a difference in the fight”. He described both fighters as strategic and lengthy athletes, foreseeing a close five-round match that would lean in favor of Sterling.
Sterling has suggested that UFC 292 might be his last fight in the 135 pounds category citing two reasons – the ambition to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight championship and to provide an opportunity for his teammate and friend Merab Dvalishvili to aim for the title bout. Munhoz hopes that a victory over Vera would propel him up the ranks, even though he doesn’t think he is close to a title shot just yet. He alluded to the high stakes, acknowledging Vera’s impressive MMA record. “It’s going to be a tough fight,” said Munhoz, adding, “I think I’m technically better than him in all areas, on the feet and in grappling.”