'He runs through him' - UFC fighters almost unanimous in Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley prediction
Sean O'Malley will finally get his first shot at gold later this year when he meets reigning champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. While on paper this one seems to be a fun matchup, several fighters gave their predictions for how they see this one playing out and they were almost unanimous in their choices.
'Suga' burst onto the scene following his impressive performance on the Contender Series and has seen his popularity grow steadily ever since. The 28-year-old has only lost once throughout his nine outings under the UFC banner, though that ended controversially and he still sees himself as undefeated.
In a video posted on YouTube by James Lynch, Chris Daukaus and numerous other UFC fighters had their say on who will come out on top between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley, with the majority siding with the champion.
"Aljo mauls him." said Daukaus. "Aljo runs through him, there's no doubt in my mind. No doubt. That's my lock. Out of all the picks, Aljo runs through him, no doubt."
While O'Malley is an extremely talented striker, doubt surrounds his ability to perform in the grappling department and that is where Aljamain Sterling excels. Although he may be in over his head, the flashy bantamweight has made it clear that he has a sneaky submission game, which will have to be on display next time out.
The only fighter in the entire video to side with the challenger was UFC women's strawweight contender Lupita Godinez. 'Loopy' has won four of her last five fights and is looking to break into the top 15 with a win over Sam Hughes in her next octagon appearance.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley and other fighters at UFC 292
Alongside the eagerly-anticipated clash between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley, UFC 292 will host another title fight when Zhang Weili puts her crown on the line against Amanda Lemos.
Another huge matchup that's rumored to get underway on August 19 is the surging Song Yadong who welcomes Rob Font into the cage as both men chase a top-5 spot in the bantamweight rankings.
A returning Chris Weidman makes his first appearance since suffering a horrific leg break. Alongside those mentioned, Geoff Neal looks to bounce back from his recent loss in a brawl with rising talent Ian Garry and Cody Garbrandt looks to put together a streak of wins at UFC 292.