"His mind wasn't ready" - Marlon Vera believes Aljamain Sterling should have said, "F**k you" to the UFC when offered Sean O'Malley fight at UFC 292
Aljamain Sterling faced off against Sean O'Malley in the main event of UFC 292 last weekend.
'Funk Master' was hoping to defend the bantamweight crown for a record fourth consecutive time but tasted defeat for the first time since 2017, as O'Malley knocked him out in the second round.
Marlon Vera, who Sean O'Malley called out following the clash, has now stated that Aljamain Sterling should not have accepted the UFC 292 matchup.
'Funk Master' was forced to make a quick turnaround after narrowly defeating Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 in May. 'Chito' believes that the short space between fight camps could have contributed to his downfall against 'Sugar'.
During a recent appearance on Food Truck Diaries, hosted by Brendan Schaub, Vera shared his thoughts on Aljamain Sterling's decision to accept a matchup with O'Malley at UFC 292. He said this:
"I think his mind wasn't ready for the pressure of the lights, for the magnitude of the event, and I believe Aljamain f**ked up. He beat Cejudo in Brooklyn, he should be [saying to the UFC], 'F**k you, f***k you. I'm fighting in December. If you want to strip me, strip me.' He kind of went, like, 'Oh, I'm going to make $1 million or maybe over, I'm gonna just do it.' It not just about the money, it's about the legacy."
'Chito' continued:
"He's already got the money. He's already got a couple of houses, he's already successful. Don't f***ing hold yourself out for a couple hundred thousand."
Watch the video below from 5:40:
Sean O'Malley believes Aljamain Sterling should move to featherweight
Sean O'Malley defeated Aljamain Sterling in style at UFC 292 last weekend to claim the bantamweight throne. 'Sugar' ended Sterling's nine-fight winning streak with a superb second-round TKO.
Prior to their clash, 'Funk Master' had voiced his aspirations of becoming a two-division champion. Sterling has eyes on a super-fight with featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, but following his UFC 292 loss, he admitted he would have to reconsider a move northwards.
In the weeks since their bantamweight clash, Aljamain Sterling revealed that he has already gained 40 pounds in weight. This prompted Sean O'Malley to suggest that 'Funk Master' should probably move to featherweight despite his loss, given Sterling's enormous frame.
During a recent episode of The TimboSugar Show, O'Malley said this:
"Yeah Aljo said he weighed 174 [pounds] or something like that, it's f***ing insane. I'm probably 154/155 [pounds] right now... Got back Sunday, back to the gym Monday with Brandon, working, lifting. Trying to strengthen s**t just so I don't get injured, had three good lifts last week... But yeah, I mean if you blow up that big just naturally, you should go to 145 [pounds]."
Watch the video below from 22:00: