Aljamain Sterling vs Sean O'Malley Preview & Picks
Aljamain Sterling is tipped to retain the UFC bantamweight title.
Sterling’s grappling and persistent takedown attempts can negate Sean O’Malley’s striking edge.
And when the fight does hit the mat, Sterling’s superior ground skills are backed to result in a submission win.
- Aljamain Sterling is on a 9-fight win streak
- Aljamain Sterling is 9-0 in title fights in his career
- 8 of Sterling’s 11 stoppage wins have been via submission
- Sean O’Malley was stopped in his only career loss so far
Aljamain Sterling Form
Aljamain Sterling is the reigning UFC bantamweight champion with a record of 23-3 (3 KOs, 8 Subs).
Sterling’s career faltered between May 2017 and December 2017, as he lost three times in a five-fight spell.
A unanimous decision win over Brett Johns in August 2018 got him back on track though, and ‘The Funk Master’ has been on a roll ever since.
He submitted Cody Stamman and then downed Jimmie Rivera and Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision to earn a title eliminator fight.
Sterling won that fight in impression fashion, taking only 88 seconds to submit Cory Sandhagen in June 2020.
He then won the title in his next fight, being award the belt after Petr Yan was disqualified for using an illegal knee.
The 34-year-old American won the rematch via split decision, and followed that up with a second-round knockout of former champion TJ Dillashaw to go 2-0 in 2020.
Then, in his first fight of 2023, Sterling edged former two-weight champion Henry Cejudo by split decision.
Sean O'Malley Form
Sean O’Malley is the #2 contender in the UFC bantamweight division with a professional record of 16-1, 1 NC (11 KOs, 1 Sub).
O’Malley debuted in the UFC in December 2017 and reeled off four consecutive victories to quickly climb the ladder.
He beat Terrion Ware and Andre Soukhamthath by unanimous decision, before king out Jose Alverto Quinonez and Eddie Wineland in the first round.
His streak stalled in his fifth outing though, as he was knocked out in just 23 seconds by Marlon Vera.
O’Malley rebounded quickly as he knocked out Thomas Almeida and then Kris Moutinho in the third round.
‘Sugar’ made it three-in-a-row as he then took out Raulian Paiva in the first round, but that was followed by a No Contest in his first outing of 2022.
An accidental eye poke in the second round rendered Pedro Munhoz unable to continue.
O’Malley got back to winning ways before the end of the year though, recording a split decision win over former bantamweight champion Petr Yan.