Leaked DMs show Henry Cejudo accurately warning Aljamain Sterling about Sean O'Malley ahead of UFC 292 - "Don't fall for his fakes"
Henry Cejudo had some advice for Aljamain Sterling ahead of the latter's UFC 292 clash against Sean O'Malley last weekend which has now been revealed over leaked DMs. 'Funkmaster' lost his bantamweight strap to O'Malley via second-round TKO with a right hand that'll go down in the history books.
Going into the fight Sterling had asked for Cejudo's general opinion about what was to be expected from 'Sugar'. Funkmaster wrote in Instagram DMs:
"What are you expecting him to do tomorrow night? Might as well ask for you opinion."
'Triple C' correctly predicted O'Malley to move around a lot but also believed that 'Sugar' wouldn't be able to control the center of the octagon for long. The former UFC double champ also advised Sterling to keep his guard high and not fall for O'Malley's fakes. Cejudo replied:
"He's going to counter you or move like crazy. He doesn't have the ability to stick to the center (strength) Stick to your gameplan push him against the cage easy money."
He added:
"Defense is number 1, Hands up and close [distance] right away. Doesn't matter how you close. He'll be dangerous in the beginning of 1 and 2 but don't give him that."
"One more thing. Don't react to his fakes. He starts his game like that. If you go away, he starts to figure out his distance. Good luck break a nail"
Catch the conversation below:
Henry Cejudo did not predict everything accurately for Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling had himself noted that he should be careful while closing the distance against someone with Sean O'Malley's reach and height. The former UFC champ wrote in a DM:
"I think the strength won't be there but he'll be wiry with his height and length. Just gotta be smart closing the distance and cut his a** off."
Henry Cejudo meanwhile had suggested that it didn't matter how 'Funkmaster' closed the distance as long as he did.
In the end, Aljamain Sterling was caught with a flush right hand while rushing in to close the distance somewhat desperately. While Cejudo was right about keeping the guard up, one always stands the chance of being starched with four-ounce MMA gloves if rushing in to cut their opponent off.