"Glass half full" - Aljamain Sterling releases classy statement after UFC 292 title loss to Sean O'Malley, reveals future plans

Aljamain Sterling lost his bantamweight strap to Sean O'Malley via a devastating second-round TKO loss in the main event at UFC 292 last weekend. 'Funkmaster' was all class in the immediate aftermath of his loss, neither making a single excuse nor protesting the stoppage that many had deemed early.

Sterling recently uploaded another classy video on his YouTube channel, opening up on his loss while revealing future plans. The video also has the voiceover of Georges St-Pierre, where the legend honestly details the nervousness fighters feel on fight night.

Aljamain Sterling detailed the positive side of his shocking upset loss to Sean O'Malley. 'Funkmaster' believes it could have been much worse for him mentally had he been thoroughly outclassed by his opponent. The former champ said:

"Feels good, to know that not just your phone ringing when you're winning but people who still care about you in your dark time. Even though this isn't that dark of an emotional time for me. Like you know, if I got outclassed dude I wouldn't even know where to begin to know how to pick up the pieces. Glass half full. Yeah, I lost, but I fought great in the first round."

Catch Sterling's comments below:

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"Maybe Merab gets his strike" - Aljamain Sterling lays down future plans

Aljamain Sterling's best friend Merab Dvalishvili has stayed away from the UFC title picture throughout 'Funkmaster's' title reign out of respect for their friendship. While Sean O'Malley called out Marlon Vera after his UFC 292 title win, Sterling is still hopeful of an immediate rematch. If not, the next best thing for Sterling would be Dvalishvili getting a gold bid.

'Funkmaster' doesn't seem to have any further plans as of now other than preparing for a rematch of helping Dvalishvili prepare for a title shot. The 34-year-old said:

"Now Sean is the guy. He's got the crown. Kudos to him, his team. It's up to me to hopefully get the rematch, and if not get the rematch, maybe Merab gets his strike. I'll be there to help him prepare for that fight. We'll see what's next. Untill then I'm happy to just sit on the sidelines, take my vacation, take time to get better. So we'll see what's next for me in 2024."