Sean O’Malley believes the Aljamain Sterling fight was his ‘worst matchup’ following the second anniversary of his UFC title win.
The former UFC bantamweight champion O’Malley had lit up the organisation with his flashy striking style and outside-the-ring antics, even before he beat Sterling for the title two years ago.
But he is now no longer the titleholder after facing back-to-back defeats to Merab Dvalishvili, who is considered one of the great bantamweights of all time.
However, ‘Suga’ remains ‘delusional’ after the defeats and is still looking to get a win back over Dvalishvili, who faces Corey Sandhagen at UFC 320.
Sean O’Malley calls Aljamain Sterling his ‘worst matchup’ even after UFC title knockout win
Ahead of this Saturday’s Fight Night in China, the 30-year-old from Montana spoke about his former foe Sterling’s contest against Brian Ortega in the Shanghai co-main event.
The fight is a move up in weight for the former bantamweight king, who beat Calvin Kattar but tasted defeat against Movsar Evloev in his second bout in the division.
Reflecting on the anniversary of his crowning moment, the Montana native spoke about the issues going into the camp for that fight.
In his interview with MMA Junkie, O’Malley said: “I mean that one specifically was just so wild because we were just like a lamb out there to get slaughtered.
“The camp was horrible.”
The second round stoppage signalled a huge win for the ‘Suga Show’, defeating the dominant champion who had just dispatched Henry Cejudo and ended his nine-fight win streak.
Regarding the ‘Funk Master’ as a style matchup, the MMA star believed it was harder for him compared to his two losses to the champion.
He said: “Aljamaine Sterling, in my opinion, and I would still say even over Merab, Aljamaine’s a worse matchup for me.
“Aljo was the number one bantamweight. I think Merab kind of surpassed him, but for me, matchup-wise Aljo was the worst matchup in the division, and we go out there and put his lights out, it was a good feeling.”
‘You just never know…’ – Sean O’Malley clarifies UFC retirement comments
Since his submission loss to the Georgian MMA star in June, the 30-year-old has been mulling over his future in the sport.
He had previously revealed his retirement age in an interview before his UFC 316 rematch and explained he would prefer to go on until he was 37 or 38.
But after his recent comments, fans were left unsure whether he would return to the Octagon.
During this new interview, he clarified his comments on putting down the gloves.
Sean said: “You just never know, life comes at you fast, but there are no plans as of now to stop fighting, but just putting life into perspective.
“You can never know what’s going to happen. So, every time I get on the mats and I’m training and I’m grateful for that session.”
The mixed martial artist revealed he was aiming to get back in the cage by the end of this year, if possible, and he would be having talks with the organisation very soon to set up his next bout.