Aljamain Sterling dares Demetrious Johnson to 'get revenge for Henry', claims ex-UFC champ's size and age will usher in his downfall on fight night
Aljamain Sterling is set to defend his bantamweight title against Sean O'Malley at UFC 292 this weekend. While he has shared his plans to move to featherweight regardless of the outcome, he recently called out long-time flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, who now holds the same title at ONE Championship.
Speaking at the UFC 292 Q&A session, 'Funk Master' claimed that 'Mighty Mouse' is too small to beat him, stating:
"He's too little, man. 'Mighty Mouse' is great, but he's too little. There's a reason why he lost to [Dominick Cruz]. It wasn't a skill deficiency. It's size... He's skilled, but I think father time has passed him a little bit. If he wants to get this work, try to get some revenge for Henry [Cejudo], I can beat your boy too, so 'Mighty Mouse', where you at?" [h/t MMA Fighting]
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments on Demetrious Johnson below:
Sterling defeated Henry Cejudo in his most recent title defense at UFC 288 in May. While Johnson shared a rivalry with 'Triple C', in which they fought twice for the flyweight title, splitting the meetings, they have now begun training with one another.
Although 'Funk Master' appears open to a potential bout with 'Mighty Mouse', the latter is no longer on the UFC roster. It is unclear if he would be open to returning, or if ONE Championship would allow him to leave his contract. It is unlikely, however, that the UFC would be open to a cross-promotional bout.
Sean O'Malley praises Aljamain Sterling ahead of UFC 292 title bout
Aljamain Sterling will look to become the first bantamweight with four title defenses when he faces Sean O'Malley at UFC 292. 'Sugar' recently shared his game plan for defeating 'Funk Master'. Speaking to Eddie Mercado of Bloody Elbow, the No.2-ranked bantamweight stated:
"My game plan's no secret. I do not want him to grab ahold of me at all. He doesn't grab me, I win the fight. He grabs me, it's not ideal. It's not like I'm a white belt or completely oblivious to what to do. He's the best in the world at grappling. That's what he does. He's won the belt that way and he's the best. I'm not taking him lightly at all."
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments on Aljamain Sterling below (starting at the 14:55 mark):
O'Malley added that he believes Sterling is the greatest bantamweight of all time. 'Funk Master' holds several divisional records, including most consecutive title defenses, most wins, most strikes, longest win streak, longest total fight time, and most control time. 'Sugar' will look to hand him his first loss since 2017.