UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is still complaining about his UFC 292 fight with Sean O’Malley.
Sterling continues to bemoan the short turnaround time to face his #1 contender, just three months after a grueling split-decision win over Henry Cejudo. Though the champion, and his trainer, continue to air their grievances as loud as they can, the August date is soon approaching.
On Sterling’s podcast, the champion detailed his frustrations as the UFC 292 card is now right around the corner.
“Sometimes you could get a little burned out. Sometimes that can take a lot out of you mentally. That’s why, after this fight, I had so much things with Henry, so many things planned out, that I just wanted to decompress and stop thinking about fighting for once because I do so much to get to the fight and prep myself to mentally get ready for battle. “I had that just kind of ripped from underneath my legs. Now I’m like, ‘OK, this time you motherf*ckers are not doing this to me again.’ I’m going to fight, even though it’s literally against my will.”
Aljamain Sterling will struggle with cutting weight
Though Sterling has every right to be upset, the reality is that he didn’t suffer an injury or medical suspension that would preclude him from competing. It wouldn’t be surprising that Sterling is draining himself to make the bantamweight limit, and he may not safely be able to cut weight ahead of the O’Malley fight.
At the same time, Sterling has constantly talked down O’Malley in the buildup to their fight. So between complaining that he has to fight, he’s doing what he can to generate interest in the showdown. Sterling also mentions that the O’Malley fight is likely his final fight at bantamweight, adding further evidence that a three-month turnaround might make it troublesome for him to lose weight.
“Yeah, I could turn around and go fight 145 and go fight three-and-a-half months later, which is pretty much what this fight is. It’s the weight cut.”
Unless something happens between now and then, Sterling vs. O’Malley is still slated to headline UFC 292 in Boston.
