Aljamain Sterling (16-1-1) is one of the most controversial champions in the history of the UFC, having won the title after his opponent got disqualified. He defended the UFC Bantamweight championship belt three times, winning two of those fights by a split decision. The third fight he won by TKO, but his opponent dislocated his
Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley UFC 292 Odds, Time, and Prediction
Aljamain Sterling (16-1-1) is one of the most controversial champions in the history of the UFC, having won the title after his opponent got disqualified. He defended the UFC Bantamweight championship belt three times, winning two of those fights by a split decision. The third fight he won by TKO, but his opponent dislocated his shoulder in the opening moments of the bout.
Knowing all this, it’s clear why “The Funk Master” has many detractors. However, he’s got a chance to shush them once and for all by beating the highly hyped “Sugar” in the UFC 292 main event. So, can he do it?
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Aljamain Sterling | -270 |
| Sean O’Malley | +215 |
*Odds taken from BetUS on Tuesday, August 15, 2023.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
- Date: Saturday, August 19
- Time: ~10:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: PPV
Aljamain Sterling to Outwrestle His Opponent
It seems that the shortest road to victory for Sterling is to outwrestle O’Malley. He’s averaging 2.02 takedowns per 15 minutes, which is no surprise as he’s got a background in freestyle wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Sterling has eight wins by submission in his portfolio, with one of those wins happening against Augusto Mendes, a former BJJ world champ who’s currently employed as a grappling coach of Sean O’Malley.
Aljamain Sterling fought Sean O’Malleys BJJ coach Augusto Mendes back in 2017, Aljo outgrappled and outworked him
O’Malley is a currently a brown belt under Mendes pic.twitter.com/Rga6nbqERx
— schwick (@schwick6) August 11, 2023
Another proof of Aljo’s fantastic wrestling/grappling skills is that he’s never lost a single fight by submission. It’s almost 100% certain he won’t lose by this method to “Sugar” either as this guy just isn’t great on the floor.
Instead, O’Malley is all about striking. So, the big question is whether “The Funk Master” can survive the tournament of punches and kicks his opponent is going to throw at him on August 19?
The Biggest Fight of Sean O’Malley’s Career
The UFC 292 main event is the biggest fight of O’Malley’s career, so you can be certain that he’s been working extra hard to prepare for the clash. You can be sure that he has spent months improving his takedown defense and grappling skills in order to be able to protect himself against Sterling’s strongest weapons.
He’s likely to use those skills for defense as he probably realizes that beating Sterling by submission is mission impossible. Instead, he’ll try to beat the reigning champ with striking. And that’s what he’s really good at.
O’Malley lands 7.43 significant strikes per minute, which is the third-highest number in the UFC among active fighters. But “Sugar” isn’t just about volume; his strikes are also incredibly powerful. The evidence of this is that he’s got a knockout-to-win ratio of 68.75%.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley Prediction
Our prediction is that Sterling vs. O’Malley is going to win the Fight of the Night accolade. Each fighter is going to go all-in as this bout is of incredible importance for both of them. Sterling is a much better wrestler than O’Malley, but his opponent is better striking-wise.
Anything can happen here, but we think the most probable scenario is that Sterling will take O’Malley down and keep him pinned to the ground long enough to win over the judges.
Pick: Aljamain Sterling to win by decision
