
Sean O’Malley is the new UFC bantamweight champion. Photo via Instagram (@UFC)
Sean O’Malley became the new bantamweight champion in a most memorable way as he stopped Aljamain Sterling with a perfect counter right at UFC 292 in Boston on Saturday night.
However, at the post-fight press conference the new champion revealed that he could not train the way he needed ahead of the important fight.
“I haven’t grappled in six weeks,” O’Malley said. “I had a muscle strain and I literally couldn’t grapple for six weeks. Couldn’t MMA spar. I was the main event in Boston. There was no chance I was pulling out. But we haven’t grappled in six weeks. Six weeks today, I had a muscle strain right under my rib and I couldn’t grapple.”
”So coming into this fight and fighting Aljo, when I did interviews, I was saying, ‘Life or death: I cannot get taken down,’ because I didn’t know if (the rib injury) would hold up – and it’s fucking sore right now.”
Read more: UFC 292 results: O’Malley TKO’s Sterling to become the new bantamweight champ
Sean O’Malley was the better man
The former champion, Aljamain Sterling, was impressed by ”Sugar” when he reflected about the loss at the post-fight press conference.
“He was better than what I thought in his footwork,” Sterling explained. “That was one of the things I tried to get guys to emulate, because I knew that is a hard thing to do. I do it myself when I go side to side, but it’s different when someone else is doing it to you, and I can’t track this motherfucker down.”
”I tracked him down a couple of times, but then he would spin out at the last second. I think I threw a side kick, and he was able to pivot out beautifully. He did a couple things really, really well.”
Read more: Dana White begs former champ to give up his career right now: “Please retire”
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