Aljamain Sterling questions Sean O'Malley's "stardom" despite having "lot of good knockouts and highlights"

Aljamain Sterling labeled Sean O'Malley’s personality as "dry" while questioning the authenticity of his stardom. O'Malley is gearing up to take on Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 316 this weekend.

While Sterling respects O'Malley's skills inside the octagon, he's baffled by how 'Sugar' is positioned as one of the UFC’s biggest attractions. Speaking in an interview with Home of Fight, Sterling said:

"I don't really know his personality outside of when he's asking me constantly about my weight, or asking other fighters how much they weigh in person."

He added:

"I've always said his personality was a little dry, in my opinion, and I didn't really understand the stardom other than his fight skills. He's a very good fighter. He had a lot of good knockouts and highlights. That's usually good when you're fighting not-so-good people."

Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below:

Sterling shared the octagon with O'Malley and lost the bantamweight telt to him at UFC 292. But in the aftermath, he noticed that O'Malley’s image as a pay-per-view magnet may not align with the actual numbers.

Furthermore, Sterling pointed out a double standard regarding injury revelation after the fight. O'Malley revealed he fought Dvalishvili with a torn labrum during their first clash at UFC 306. Sterling remembers being criticized for mentioning his challengers after his fight against O'Malley.

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Sean O’Malley stands firm on UFC fighter pay debate

Sean O’Malley knows exactly why he is one of the UFC’s biggest stars today. O'malley relied on smart branding from the start, and his performances inside the octagon validated that.

The American fighter believes that building value matters more than complaints about base salaries. Speaking on the issue in a recent conversation with Demetrious Johnson, O'Malley said:

"People complain, 'I'm only getting paid [$10,000 to show, $10,000 to win] but in reality, who's there to see you fight? Your mom, your dad, your sister, a couple buddies. No one's really going to pay to watch you on TV. You have to build your name up to bring value to the UFC, to whatever promotion you're in. It's tricky because it's such a dangerous thing to do and make money. It depends how you look at it if you're making $50,000 which isn't a ton of money, but it's also you're doing what you love to do and chose to do."

Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below (25:20):