Sean O'Malley thinks Aljamain Sterling is a more dangerous grappler than Henry Cejudo
Sean O'Malley is known for his skills on the feet, managing to produce highlight-reel finishes time after time. But 'Sugar' is no slouch in the grappling department either, and has competed in several grappling competitions in his career.
Being the No.1-ranked bantamweight in the UFC, O'Malley is likely to face the winner of the expected clash between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo. Both Sterling and Cejudo employ a grappling-heavy style, but according to 'Sugar', the current UFC bantamweight champion is more dangerous on the ground.
Whilst being interviewed by The Schmo recently, 'Sugar' compared the two styles and said the following:
"I think Aljamain has some of the best grappling in MMA right now, he's very dangerous. He's been active. Henry is a wrestler more so, Aljo will take you back, [secure] a body triangle, and that's a lot more dangerous to deal with than Henry trying to lay on top of you."
Watch the interview below:
Aljamain Sterling's Brazilian jiu-jitsu prowess appears to be what separates him from Cejudo in Sean O'Malley's mind.
'Triple C' is an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling and is highly skilled on the ground. However, Sterling's division 3 collegiate wrestling, combined with a black belt under BJJ phenom Matt Serra, is clearly more effective in the eyes of 'Sugar'.
Suga Sean OโMalley showing off his grappling at Quintet Ultra https://t.co/Zm1kXBL1UB
Sean O'Malley speaks on the similarities between his early UFC career and Paddy Pimblett's
Sean O'Malley has risen to No.1 in the UFC bantamweight rankings after beating Petr Yan at UFC 280.
O'Malley has had a slow but steady ascent towards the top of the rankings. Despite the hype he has garnered throughout his career, he wisely took his time to help build up much-needed experience in the cage.
'Sugar' believes that Paddy Pimblett, who burst onto the scene late in 2021, is taking a similar approach to his own. Despite winning all four of his UFC fights, 'The Baddy' is yet to call out a fighter in the UFC.
Sean O'Malley believes that the UFC will assist Pimblett in selecting future opponents for the foreseeable future. In the same interview, 'Sugar' said the following:
"If you look back at my career, I was never really calling out a specific name. I think he's kind of taking the same approach. Wait 'till the UFC says, 'Hey this is who we're thinking.' The UFC is guiding his career. They wanna see him win."
STILL UNDEFEATED IN THE OCTAGON!!
Paddy Pimblett takes the UD victory in your #UFC282 co-main event ๐ช https://t.co/8QxhdI9fZT