"Does fight a little bit panicked" - Sean O'Malley's coach previews Aljamain Sterling vs Henry Cejudo, but is unsure if 'Triple C' will "come back"

Sean O'Malley's head coach, Tim Welch, believes Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo has all the attributes to be one of the most competitive bantamweight clashes in recent history.

'Aljo' earned yet another massive career win at UFC 280 when he defeated T.J. Dillashaw. Sterling looked as dominant as ever, never once letting up the pressure.

Although it was later revealed that Dillashaw was suffering from an injury, it took nothing away from the elite grappling and wrestling that 'Funk Master' displayed. Aljamain Sterling won via a second-round TKO.

𝘼𝙡𝙟𝙤 𝙙𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🇯🇲🇺🇸🏆

Official Fight Highlights from Aljamain Sterling's punishing win over TJ Dillashaw in Abu Dhabi 👀

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Following Sterling's second successful title defense, the champ is in a precarious position. The 33-year-old will face either the returning veteran Henry Cejudo or the surging star that is Sean O'Malley.

According to Tim Welch, while both he and O'Malley are excited for a title shot, Sterling vs. Cejudo would make for a great contest:

"Man, that's a good fight. 'Aljo' does fight a little bit panicked, when he's on the feet he doesn't look very comfortable. In the open, Aljamain will never take down Cejudo. Maybe if he falls or something, but there's a cage there where Aljo can shoot in and lock his hands."

He continued:

"With someone like Cejudo, he's not going to have a very developed guard... If Aljo gets around his back with his hands locked, the game changes...Man it's a great fight."

Catch Tim Welch's interview here:

Aljamain Sterling calls Sean O'Malley a bigger draw than Henry Cejudo

Following his impressive win at UFC 280, Aljamain Sterling has since confirmed he's not planning on fighting again until mid-next year. The bantamweight champ, however, is eyeing up his next opponent.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, 'Aljo' stated that from a competitive stand-point, Cejudo is the tougher match-up, but financially, 'Sugar' is going to be the fight that earns more money.

The champ stated that he wants the biggest fight, which he believes is against O'Malley:

“I’m not fighting until mid-year next year... I earned my time off so Henry can go kick rocks. Let me ask you, are you excited to see Sterling vs. Cejudo? Is that the biggest fight for you as a fan of the sport? It seems like as a whole Sean just draws better than Cejudo."

He added:

"Outside of his credentials, for a die-hard, I’d be excited about that fight. But other than that, in terms of financial, I want the biggest fight... I feel it’s the Sean O’Malley fight, but again, if I’m wrong, I’m wrong.”

O'Malley's impressive win over Petr Yan means he has climbed 10 places in the rankings, sitting at No. 1 in the division. Although Cejudo has been teasing his return for some time, it certainly makes sense on paper for 'Sugar' to be next.

Catch Aljamain Sterling's full interview here: