After securing a big win against former UFC dual-champion Henry Cejudo this past weekend at UFC 288, Aljamain Sterling should be more respected as the UFC Bantamweight champion, according to UFC Hall of Famer and current analyst Daniel Cormier.
Cormier also believes that if defeating Cejudo didn’t put some respect on Aljo’s name in the eyes of fans and other analysts alike, then defeating number one contender “Sugar” Sean O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1) in their upcoming bout would elevate him to a point where it’s “undeniable.”
“If Aljo can get through Sean, (it) will elevate Aljo to a point where it’s undeniable,” Cormier said on his ESPN show “DC & RC.” “Because for as good as Khabib (Nurmagomedov) was, he wasn’t the Khabib we know today with 30 million Instagram followers until he beat Conor McGregor.”
Following Sterling’s split-decision win against Cejudo, O’Malley entered the ring to face off against the reigning bantamweight champion and voice his opinion on their upcoming match: “You better look better than that,” O’Malley asserted. “You looked like s–t.”
Cormier gave his thoughts on Sterling and O’Malley’s face-off following the match, stating that O’Malley did look confident but that he also hasn’t really been tested outside of Petyr Yan thus far in his tenure in the UFC bantamweight division.
“First off, Sean O’Malley seems very confident going into the fight with Aljamain Sterling and why wouldn’t he be when he hasn’t really been tested in that way outside of Petr Yan?” Cormier said. “Two things stood out, though: One, Sean O’Malley looked huge. Aljamain Sterling is one of the biggest guys in that weight class. He’s one of the tallest guys. … Secondly, he kept saying you’re gonna fight much sooner than you think you are.
“What is Sean O’Malley alluding to? What does he know that Aljo may not even know yet. He’s telling him he’s gonna be cutting the weight right now because they’re gonna fight again. I mean, are they gonna try to turn Aljamain Sterling around in three months, four months, to make him fight Sean O’Malley?”
Are you looking forward to the Aljamain Sterling vs. “Sugar” Sean O’Malley fight? Do you think that Aljamain Sterling beating Sean O’Malley would elevate him to to a point where his greatness is “undeniable,” as Daniel Cormier believes? Let us know in the comments.
