UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling didn"t hold back as he questioned the UFC"s matchmaking decisions and expressed his skepticism about the legitimacy of Sean O"Malley"s recent title defense against Chito Vera.
Sterling, known for his straightforward opinions, criticized the UFC"s attempt to elevate Vera"s status, stating, “You defended the belt against a guy who wasn’t even ranked in the top 5; they moved him up to the top 5 to make it look like he was better. How did Chito move up in the rankings?"
Aljamain Sterling says the UFC tried to make Chito Vera look like a good win for O’Malley. Also says his Ilia callout was "ridiculous".
"You defended the belt against a guy who wasn’t even ranked in the top 5, they moved him up to the top 5 to make it look like he was better.… pic.twitter.com/AKzYC47ZvX
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 10, 2024
While acknowledging O"Malley"s win, Sterling emphasized the lack of challenge, saying, “Yeah, you won, but you won against a guy that we were all expecting you to beat. So as a champion, it’s hard for me to put a lot of stock in that because I just can’t respect it as much."
Sterling"s criticism extended to O"Malley"s post-fight callout of Ilia Topuria. He deemed it “ridiculous" and suggested O"Malley should have chosen a more deserving opponent, such as Marab Dvalishvili, who Sterling believes is the rightful contender.
Addressing O"Malley"s call for a title fight in Spain, Sterling expressed his disbelief, saying, “Like, what are you talking about, dude? You defended the belt against the guy who wasn’t even ranked in the top five. They moved him up to the top five to make it look like it was better. Like he fought the top-five opponent. How did Cheeto move up in the ranking? Who did he beat to move up in the ranking?"
Sterling concluded by highlighting the importance of facing the next deserving challenger in line, expressing discomfort with the idea of title fights against opponents who haven"t earned their place through the rankings.
As Sterling continues to recover from neck surgery, his vocal opinions on the state of the bantamweight division add an intriguing layer of commentary to ongoing discussions within the UFC community.
