Aljamain Sterling explains heated confrontation with Sean O'Malley's "minions" after UFC 306 presser: "There’s nothing cool about that whatsoever"
Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili got into a heated exchange with Sean O'Malley's fans outside the arena during Noche UFC 306 fight week. Sterling was also in the corner of his friend Dvalishvili, who put on a dominant performance against O'Malley to secure the bantamweight championship in the main event of the Sept. 14 pay-per-view showcase.
During the exchange, a fan sought to trigger a reaction out of Sterling by mocking his knockout loss to 'Suga' at UFC 292. Dvalishvili and Sterling pointed at the fan and tried to confront him but the security intervened to diffuse the situation.
Sterling shed light on the matter in a recent interview on MMA Today, stating
“When Merab went on the bus after the Friday evening face-off, we saw a whole bunch of people waving him down, so he gets off the bus to go over. Now, his minions Sch*tty and the other skinny twig were on the other side. I see these guys screaming and yelling, coming all the way back over to be a**holes. I was like, alright guys, the presser’s done, and now you’re in our personal space. I told him, ‘Dude, you’re really close now, and you’re being straight-up disrespectful. I’m right here now, so if you wanna sit behind this, you’re not very far away from me…"
Sterling added:
“People have gotten way too comfortable with just being complete a**holes and thinking that there’s nothing wrong with them being a**holes. We’re not in the arena where you can chirp and pay up money, now we’re in our personal space, we’re working and being professional with what we’re trying to do, and you’re literally walking over and being a complete prick. There’s nothing cool about that whatsoever.” [H/t: MMANews]
Catch Sterling's comments below:
Check out the full episode on SiriusXm Fight Nation:
Aljamain Sterling reacts to Dana White's comments that Sean O'Malley looked flat in fight against Merab Dvalishvili
UFC CEO Dana White claimed that Sean O'Malley looked flat in his fight against Merab Dvalishvili at Noche UFC 306. Dvalishvili harnessed his wrestling prowess to rattle off a unanimous decision win over O'Malley.
Meanwhile, 'Suga' has asserted that he was in his best shape going into the fight despite concerns regarding his performance. Speaking about White's comments on his YouTube channel, Aljamain Sterling said:
"I know people are trying to say that O’Malley looked flat. I think that’s the narrative that Dana was trying to push. If I’m being fair, if you look at his fights, his track record of all the guys he’s beaten, they were all punching bags for the most part. I give credit where due. He was well prepared, but to say he looked flat makes no sense."
Catch Sterling's comments below (14:45):