Aljamain Sterling Would Bet 'Life Savings' on Winning Rematch Against Sean O’Malley

Aljamain Sterling is confident regarding the outcome of a rematch with Sean O’Malley.

O’Malley dethroned Sterling via second-round knockout in the main event at UFC 292in August 2023. “Sugar” has since defended his strap via a unanimous decision win over Marlon Vera at UFC 299 this past March.

Meanwhile, Sterling scored a unanimous decision win over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 in his featherweight debut last month. “Funkmaster” claims he didn’t have the best camp for the O’Malley fight due to a quick turnaround from a unanimous decision win over Henry Cejudo in May 2023. Sterling also noted that O’Malley had nearly a year to prepare, sitting on the sidelines since a split-decision win over Petr Yan in October 2022.

Sterling is confident that he would beat O’Malley in a rematch given he gets as much time as “Sugar” got for his first title defense against “Chito.”

“I had to take a month off for my Henry Cejudo fight cause my shins was so beaten up. ‘Oh, but Sean had busted ribs.’ He didn’t have busted ribs coming into training camp,” Sterling told Kanpai Media (via Championship Rounds). “The guy had 10 months off before his [Petr] Yan fight to prepare for either myself or Henry Cejudo. He beat Yan, and then he got to sit and wait as if he was the champion. Then I get told as the champion 'you have to turn around and cut all that weight again.'

“And again, O'Malley showed up that night. It was an off night for myself and the better man won that night. But I do know if I had a rematch and as long he waited, from August to fighting ‘Chito’ in March. Give me that time to recover, prepare and to cut my weight the proper way. In a rematch, I would bet my life savings on that. But people are gonna say I’m so salty. I’m like, ‘Yo skills are skills, facts are facts.’”

With Sterling now at 145 pounds, training partner Merab Dvalishvili is expected to receive the next title shot against O'Malley.