"It might be a 'Sugar' show" - Aljamain Sterling not ruling out Sean O'Malley for next title fight

Aljamain Sterling silenced all doubters when he beat Petr Yan at UFC 273 in his first title defense. According to the champion, Sean O'Malley might be a potential suitor for a future title defense.

After unceremoniously winning the belt owing to his opponent Yan being disqualified in their first championship fight, Sterling was written off by many ahead of his subsequent title defense.

However, a split-decision victory against 'No Mercy' cemented 'Funk Master's' status as the undisputed king of the bantamweight division.

Sterling is now getting ready to face T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280. However, he does have his sights set on a fight after that.

In an appearance on ESPN MMA's UFC Live show, Sterling shared his take on who his next opponent might be after T.J. Dillashaw. He mentioned the hopefuls first:

"There's a couple of wildcards like Din Thomas just mentioned. You've got Deiveson Figueiredo potentially coming up to 135 [pounds]. You got Cejudo kinda waiting in the wings somewhere, around there, doing his thing."

'Funk Master' then mentioned the most likely contenders for his belt if he defends it against Dillashaw. He named Marlon Vera and Sean O'Malley as the most likely challengers in the division:

"But I think for me, it comes down to the best matchup, the best performances, and I think right now 'Chito's' definitely the front-runner. After I get past T.J., because I don't want to look past him, I get the job done. I think whoever has the best performance, it might be a 'Sugar' show, it might be a 'Chito' show. I'm not sure which one yet."

Watch Aljamain Sterling's full comments on UFC Live:

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T.J. Dillashaw writes off Sean O'Malley against Petr Yan

While the bantamweight champion's comments will ring sweet in Sean O'Malley's ears, he has a more immediate challenge to contend with in the form of Petr Yan.

O'Malley is gearing up for the most experienced and decorated opponent he's ever faced in 'No Mercy'. Perhaps that is why a few fighters and fans have placed stock in him going into the matchup at UFC 280.

T.J. Dillashaw, who will be competing for the bantamweight belt on the same card, does not believe 'Sugar' has done much to warrant a fight with a former champion.

Dillashaw also thinks Yan will comfortably overcome O'Malley at UFC 280. He said in an interview with MMA Junkie:

“He’s great for the sport. He’s great for our weight class and bringing a lot of attention. I don’t see him winning, but he’s got some range on him, and he’s got a pace. But most likely Yan is going to be able to run through him.”

Catch his full comments on Sean O'Malley in the tweet below: