Sean O’Malley defeated Petr Yan at UFC 280 last October. Photo via Twitter (UFC)
The Saturday August 19 bantamweight clash between champion Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley will for sure be a heated clash.
The confident challenger is not surprised about his rise to the top but would never overlook the champion.
“I still have to get into an octagon with Aljamain Sterling, the best bantamweight of all time, and do that magic,” O’Malley said at the UFC 292 pre-fight press conference.
“I still have to go out there, perform it and do what it’s all kind of looking like is supposed to happen. I’m going to go out there and put his lights out. I still have got to go out there and do it. I’m 100 percent capable of that. That’s where I get that confidence from.”
However, the reigning champion seem not too impressed with the mainstream star’s fighting skills.
“He has a flashy style in the sense he gets knockouts,” Sterling said at the UFC 292 pre-fight press conference. “For the casual fans, that’s cool. But for the hardcore fans who actually tune in and watch the sport, I think they’re smart enough to understand what’s what and kind of pick and choose.”
The champion claimed that “Sugar” had a fast-track to the title shot.
“I think if anyone had the same Snoop Dogg promoting their fight after coming off the Contender Series, I think anyone could have become a superstar like that overnight because it’s hype,” Sterling said.