Aljamain Sterling takes two-word dig at Sean O'Malley following 'Sugar's' advice to Cory Sandhagen on gaining fame
Aljamain Sterling recently had his say on a verbal dig that Cory Sandhagen got in at Sean O'Malley.
The ESPN MMA Instagram page posted a graphic on a recent exchange between Cory Sandhagen and the reigning UFC bantamweight champion O'Malley. Appearing on The MMA Hour and speaking to Ariel Helwani, Sandhagen stated:
"There's famous guy leverage...I think maybe I should start hanging out with rappers ... I'll get some tattoos on my face."
After this initial volley, O'Malley retorted on his personal X page when he quipped:
"Face tat might help. KOing Aljo or Beating Peter might also help IDK"
After a graphic of this back-and-forth exchange was posted to @espnmma on Instagram, a former UFC champion at 135 pounds had his say in the comment section. In this outlined instance of having a laugh at the current 135-pound titleholder, Sterling said:
"“Doctor Stoppage” 😂"
![[Image Courtesy: @espnmma on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/02/7857c-17069100091251-1920.jpg?w=500)
Check out the post that Aljamain Sterling initially commented on below.
Aljamain Sterling's history with O'Malley and Sandhagen
Sterling has a history with both of these men at 135 pounds, with his take holding particular weight in this matter.
The 34-year-old recently lost to Sean O'Malley and was stopped in the second stanza to lose his hold on the UFC bantamweight title last August. This ended a rein for 'Funk Master' that saw him defeat Petr Yan (the man he won the gold from), TJ Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo.
The native of America faced Cory Sandhagen at UFC 250 in June 2020. A sub-ninety-second rear naked choke win was what Sterling logged over one of the world's best bantamweight fighters in Sandhagen.
That Sandhagen win netted him his championship opportunity in the first place. The win over Cory Sandhagen launched Sterling into a DQ win over Petr Yan after an errant knee to a grounded opponent at UFC 259 saw the unique title change take place.
Aljamain Sterling has had a pair of grappling contests since losing his UFC title and making his return in April as a featherweight. Sterling will take on high-level ranked 145-pound contender Calvin Kattar at UFC 300.