Aljamain Sterling details the 'mistake' that made him pay against Sean O'Malley at UFC 292; answers if the crowd boos were responsible for it
Aljamain Sterling was handed his first loss in nearly six years at UFC 292 as he suffered a second-round TKO loss to Sean O'Malley. 'Funk Master' shared the mistake that he made that led to his nine-fight winning streak and his bantamweight title reign coming to an end.
Speaking at the UFC 292 post-fight press conference, the former bantamweight champion stated:
"He stayed disciplined. I didn't want the fight to be boring. I could have sat on the outside and kept playing the leg kick game but then I would have had all the criticisms of everybody else. I was like this is the difference. He stayed disciplined to his game plan, and I kind of let trying to be a little bit more of an exciting style for the fans play a factor.
"We've seen the [Israel Adesanya]-Yoel Romero fight. We've seen bad fights before, where it's like not much happens, because no one wants to make that grave mistake. I made the mistake, Sean capitalized. I paid for it."
Sterling was later asked if the 'f**k you Aljo' chants from the crowd in the first round affected him in the octagon, responding:
"I use the boos to kind of fuel me. I could have made that a boring fight, and I probably wouldn't be here right now. It is what it is. The short answer, no, the boos don't bother me. I'm glad the crowd actually has a reaction."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments on not wanting a boring fight below (starting at the 3:17 mark):
Sterling notably did not utilize his wrestling, which most felt would be his game plan entering the bout. 'Funk Master' had previously faced criticism of being a boring fighter, which seemingly led to him abandoning his winning strategy.
Aljamain Sterling believes he deserves an immediate rematch
Aljamain Sterling is considered by many to be the greatest bantamweight of all time. 'Funk Master' holds many divisional records, including most consecutive title defenses, most wins, longest win streak, most control time, and most total strikes. After losing his title to Sean O'Malley at UFC 292, he revealed that he is hoping for an immediate rematch.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, Sterling was asked if an immediate rematch was the fight he wanted. He responded:
"That is 100% what I would like the most. It's not saying Sean doesn't deserve to be - he could go out there and beat me again and I think it just strengthens his case that he's as good as he says he is, but I think I've earned - I would like to think that I've earned my right to get an immediate rematch."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments on an immediate rematch below (starting at the 6:38 mark):
Sterling had teased a potential move to featherweight leading up to UFC 292. While he is looking for an immediate rematch, he did note that he will have to weigh his options.