Aljamain Sterling believes Sean O'Malley took "the Jake Paul route" toward title, accuses UFC of "stacking the deck against his opponent"
Aljamain Sterling recently asserted that the UFC deliberately set the stage for Sean O'Malley, giving him a streamlined path to claim the bantamweight title. O'Malley's marketability has soared in recent years, fueled by his dynamic fighting style and sharp trash-talking skills.
However, his star power has often been questioned within the MMA community, with many attributing his rise to what's been dubbed "Dana White privilege."
O'Malley faced Sterling at UFC 292 in August 2023, securing a second-round TKO victory to claim the title. However, 'Funk Master' now contends that O'Malley was given the most advantageous route to his title shot.
During a recent appearance on Verse Us with Eric Nicksick, Sterling argued that 'Sugar' hadn't truly proven himself and benefited from favorable matchups on his way to the title. He pointed out that before their championship fight, O'Malley had only faced one ranked opponent:
"He fights one ranked guy and gets a title shot, split decision, all be it. This is not me hating; this is calling a spade a spade. He was supposed to fight me next, which would give me enough time to prepare... UFC wanted to give him the best opportunity they could to become a world champion by hindering and stacking the deck against his opponent. It's like the Jake Paul route—stacking the deck so you get these highlights and favorable matchups and these wins to look as good as you do."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below:
Check out the full podcast episode below:
When Aljamain Sterling questioned Sean O'Malley’s popularity after reviewing UFC 292 PPV numbers
When Sean O'Malley claimed the bantamweight title at UFC 292, many saw him as the sport’s next breakout star. However, Aljamain Sterling harbored doubts. As the reigning champion at the time, 'Funk Master' had a vested interest in the pay-per-view (PPV) numbers and later voiced his dissatisfaction with the apparent underwhelming results.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel last December, Sterling questioned O'Malley's ability to generate significant PPV numbers:
"I was just watching something with my lady, and I got the PPV numbers, and she and I were going through it, and I’m just like, 'These are the numbers that this guy was trying to say he’s this big PPV star? Oh my god.'
He added:
"When I saw the numbers, I literally sat there — if I had any idea that this is what the numbers would have been if I could have predicted that this is what it would have been, my as* would have waited and taken my vacation then and geared up to fight now."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below (13:30):