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Aljamain Sterling has seemingly tried to start title fight discussions with 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley in the aftermath of what happened on October 22. Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Sterling successfully defended his title by beating former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw via second-round TKO at UFC 280.
On the same fight card, UFC bantamweight superstar and fan-favorite KO artist Sean O'Malley defeated former bantamweight champion Petr Yan via split decision. The win over Yan has catapulted O'Malley into the upper echelons of the 135-pound division. Presently, as per the promotion's official rankings, 'Sugar' is the No. 1-ranked contender in the UFC bantamweight division.
That said, the consensus is that Sterling's next fight may not be a showdown against O'Malley. During the UFC 280 post-fight press conference, Dana White suggested that Sterling could defend his title against former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo.
It's believed that the Sterling-Cejudo matchup could transpire at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, on February 12, 2023. Irrespective of the aforementioned variables at play, Aljamain Sterling has now taken to Twitter to put forth a tweet wherein he's ominously tagged Sean O'Malley's handle. 'Funk Master' thereby subtly hinted that he'd like to face 'Sugar' in his upcoming octagon outing:
"@SugaSeanMMA"
John McCarthy cautions 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley against fighting Aljamain Sterling next
The vast majority of MMA fans and experts have expressed their disagreement with the split decision verdict in the pivotal bantamweight matchup between 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan. Former MMA referee 'Big' John McCarthy echoed similar sentiments, indicating that Yan ought to have been awarded the victory.
In an edition of the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy revealed that he's happy for O'Malley. He added, however, that 'Sugar' should refrain from rushing right into a title fight against Sterling as he isn't ready for it yet.
He acknowledged that a potential Sterling-O'Malley fight would be a lucrative one to make from the UFC's perspective. Regardless, the widely-revered MMA personality advised 'Sugar' to compete in one more fight before facing Sterling. McCarthy stated:
"I thought he [O'Malley] had to do a lot more to get that [Yan] win but judges gave it to him. So good job for you Sean O'Malley, congratulations. Moving on, I don't think he's ready for Aljamain Sterling yet though. I don't think that's a smart fight for him to take at this time... If I'm Dana White, I'd make the fight, but if I'm Sean [O'Malley], I want another fight first."
Watch McCarthy discuss the topic at 5:35 in the video below:
