"I don't think anyone takes Henry serious" - Sean O'Malley talks about Henry Cejudo coming back to challenge Aljamain Sterling for the title
Sean O'Malley believes the MMA community doesn’t care about Henry Cejudo’s return.
Aljamain Sterling defended the 135-pound title against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280, and he’s looking for his next challenger. Rumors from Ariel Helwani have pointed to the UFC wanting to book Cejudo vs. Sterling at UFC 284, but nothing is close to being finalized, especially with the ‘Funk Master’ wanting some time to recover.
During an episode of BROMALLEY, ‘Sugar’ had this to say about the bantamweight division and what’s possibly next:
“Me vs. Chito [Vera] is a possibility… I just don’t think anyone takes Henry serious. I don’t think anyone really cares if he comes back. Henry vs. Aljo? It would be a sweet fight. I’d watch it, but it’s not a money fight. It’s not like a big fight. Me vs. Chito is a way bigger fight. Me vs. Aljo is a way bigger fight… I bet Aljo looks at me and thinks, either two things, easy fight or f***ing hard fight. His grappling is very high level.”
O’Malley made a statement at UFC 280 against former UFC champion Petr Yan. 'Sugar' overcame adversity and etched out a controversial split decision victory. Nonetheless, O'Malley showed doubters that he’s ready to fight the best 135-pounders on the planet.
After accepting the fight against Petr Yan, it seems evident that he’s willing to fight anyone as long as he’s getting compensated correctly.
SEAN O'MALLEY BY SPLIT DECISION #UFC280 https://t.co/wfIwoCFmi9
Watch Sean O'Malley discuss the bantamweight division below:
Sean O'Malley shows concerns about lack of PPV points
Sean O'Malley has proven to be a massive draw for the UFC. Although he’s never headlined a pay-per-view, ‘Sugar’ has been competing on main cards and not receiving pay-per-view points. The Montana native is now the number-one contender, with a big-time matchup coming next.
During the same episode, O’Malley had this to say about wanting pay-per-view points:
“What if Me vs. Chito is an interim belt, main event, PPV? Does however many buys, and me and Chito technically don’t get PPV buys. I’d rather not do that. I’d rather say, nah, I’ll just wait. That’s what I gotta talk to the UFC about. Maybe that’s what we’re proposing. We will see.”
Regardless of the opponent, O’Malley’s next fight will attract a lot of eyeballs. It will be intriguing to see if the UFC decides to book an interim title fight while Aljamain Sterling heals up over the next couple of months. If the interim title is utilized, it’s difficult to imagine ‘Sugar’ not competing for the interim title..