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A former UFC flyweight champion is targeting a potential fight with Sean O'Malley.
A faction within the MMA community sees the newly crowned UFC bantamweight champion as one of the promotion's recent top draws, consistently making him a target for potential matchups among contenders.
'Sugar' is gearing up for his first title defense against Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC 299, scheduled for March 9.
Former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo who transitioned to the 135-pound division at the recent UFC Austin event sees himself as the next contender in line to vie for the title against the winner of the O'Malley vs. Vera rematch.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani earlier this month, Figueiredo issued a cautionary message to O'Malley. 'Deus da Guerra' said through his translator:
"I think that he has something to worry about. I’m the original. And if he’s the virus, I’m the antivirus to him. I think I have a big name coming into the division. I think that’s definitely a possibility [to face the winner of O'Malley vs. Vera bout]. I’m a two-time former champion. In my last fight at 125 pounds, I had not had a good camp and now I am great. I feel that could be a possibility. However, I will patiently await what the UFC has in mind for me."
He added:
"I’m ready for whoever they wanna put me against. The first name to come to my mind would be Sean O'Malley, so besides him, whoever they put against me." [h/t MMA Fighting]
Aljamain Sterling expresses surprise over UFC 292 PPV figures for Sean O'Malley bout
It appears that Aljamain Sterling overestimated the pay-per-view appeal of UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley.
Sterling lost his 135-pound title to 'Sugar' via a second-round knockout at UFC 292 in August. The bout with O'Malley took place a little over three months following a successful five-round title defense against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288, a situation where 'Funk Master' felt compelled to return sooner than his preferred timeline.
During a recent live stream on his YouTube channel, Sterling disclosed his surprise upon learning the PPV metrics from his fight against O'Malley:
"I got the pay-per-view numbers, and me and her were going through it, and I’m just like, 'These are the numbers that this guy was trying to say he’s this big pay-per-view star?' I’m just like, 'Oh my God.' When I saw the numbers, I literally said to her [his partner], 'If I had any idea this is what the numbers would have been, if I could have predicted that this is what it would have been, my ass would have waited and taken my vacation then'."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below (13:34):
