Aljamain Sterling is as amused as anybody that Sean O’Malley is getting one other championship alternative.
The UFC formally introduced that Merab Dvalishvili’s subsequent bantamweight title protection is in opposition to O’Malley—the person Dvalishvili beat to win the belt—in the primary occasion of UFC 316 on June 7 in Newark, N.J. Their first bout was not all that aggressive, with Dvalishvili successful a convincing unanimous resolution, so fan reaction to the news has been tepid, particularly since O’Malley hasn’t fought since shedding to Dvalishvili this previous September.
Hip surgical procedure has saved O’Malley sidelined whereas Dvalishvili, Sterling’s shut good friend and teammate, went on to file his first profitable title protection by beating the beforehand undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January. Sterling took to social media to touch upon O’Malley being granted a right away rematch.
Sincere reply, the UFC’s gonna do what’s finest for the enterprise and the model. Would I’ve preferred a right away rematch because of the circumstances going into the primary struggle? Completely. However I perceive the enterprise mannequin higher than most, and O’Malley is a extremely thrilling man that… https://t.co/IaqaMKweAS
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) April 2, 2025
“Sincere reply, the UFC’s gonna do what’s finest for the enterprise and the model,” Sterling wrote in response to a Twitter query. “Would I’ve preferred a right away rematch because of the circumstances going into the primary struggle? Completely. However I perceive the enterprise mannequin higher than most, and O’Malley is a extremely thrilling man that has overwhelmed many prime 5 contenders. So I believe he rightfully deserves it after all of the ranked names he has overwhelmed.”
At first it appeared like Sterling was defending O’Malley, however in his follow-up tweets, he made it clear he was being sarcastic when discussing O’Malley’s in-cage accolades.
Sterling and O’Malley have their very own historical past, with O’Malley defeating Sterling by second-round TKO to turn out to be bantamweight champion at UFC 292. Sterling has since moved as much as the featherweight division, the place he has gone 1-1 with a win over Calvin Kattar and a loss to Movsar Evloev.
When June 7 rolls round, Sterling will virtually certainly be in Dvalishvili’s nook to witness firsthand what he expects to be one other successful efficiency by “The Machine.” However he doesn’t need followers to fret about O’Malley, as a result of even when with one other loss to Dvalishvili, Sterling jokingly steered they might run it again yet another time.
You supply him a trilogy.
