Category: UFC 292: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley

The UFC didn’t even do this for Conor McGregor or Ronda Rousey

Posted on by Zane Simon in MMA News, UFC 292: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley, UFC News

Sugar Sean O’Malley gets special treatment

The UFC just did something very unusual for Sean O’Malley. For years one of the consistent hallmarks of the UFC was their aggressive stinginess with fight footage. The world’s largest MMA promotion has, all throughout their history left a wake of suspended Twitter accounts and cease & desist demands against fans and publications that dare to post highlight clips and videos from their events.

That stance has softened a bit in recent years. The ESPN era has meant that there are often more highlight videos released into the world wide web via official outlets, and less interest in nuking accounts that might happen to post one of their own. It’s still a rare day, however, when the UFC gets as free with their fight footage as they have following UFC 292.

Sean O'Malley and Aljamain Sterling trade blows at UFC 292.
Sean O’Malley and Aljamain Sterling trade blows at UFC 292. Bob DeChiara IMAGO/USA TODAY Network

UFC releases full second round from UFC 292 main event

It seems to be a testament to the promotion’s belief in newly crowned champion Sean O’Malley’s star power that the UFC has released not just a highlight, but the full final round of action from their latest PPV main event.

O’Malley picked up a massive TKO victory over the Serra-Longo talent to seal his steady rise from Contender Series prospect to bantamweight title holder. After a somewhat cautious opening round of action that saw Aljamain Sterling pick up the round on all three judges cards, Sterling looked for a single leg takedown early in the second frame.

He didn’t get it, but landed a solid combination as he exited the pocket. That success seemed to give Sterling the confidence that he should start pressuring O’Malley more, which meant lunging across open space with a couple wild shots that put him badly off balance, and right in the way of a huge counter right hand. A few followup shots and it was all over.

Sean O’Malley was nursing a serious injury

It’s too bad for Aljamain Sterling that he couldn’t get that takedown he was pressing for. Had he been able to actually put O’Malley on the mat, the fight very well might have been over. Following his victory, ‘Sugar’ Sean admitted that he had come into the fight with a pretty serious rib injury.

“I was the main event in Boston. There was no shot I was pulling out,” O’Malley told reporters after the fight, “but we haven’t grappled. Six weeks from today I got a muscle strain right under my rib. Coming into this fight against Aljo, every interview I was saying ‘it was life or death—I cannot get taken down.’ It was because I didn’t know if this would hold up.”

“It’s sore right now. I don’t know if it’s from a kick or just the little bit of grappling that we did,” he added.

Despite how close he seemingly came from defending his belt for the fourth time, however, Sterling seems like he’s in high spirits after his loss.

“I’m more than alright,” Sterling wrote in a post to his Instagram. “I have everything I need right here! Thank you for all the messages. I truly feel the love and support in this crappy moment in time. But one thing I know is that it’ll pass and I’ll be back on the horse again doing what I love! Chase your dreams and try your best with anything that you do.”

No word yet on just who O’Malley might face next inside the Octagon, but it seems like a battle against Sterling teammate Merab Dvalishvili has got to be on the near horizon. Dvalishvili is fresh off his own victory over Petr Yan back in March, his 9th straight win. He also holds a notable victory over O’Malley’s wardrobe, a score the new champ has yet to settle.

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I’m kept from me livelihood! – Conor McGregor says ‘they’re not gonna let me fight in December’

Posted on by Zane Simon in MMA News, UFC 292: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley, UFC News

Alongside the major title fight story-lines of UFC 292, the card carried another, secondary purpose. Having just wrapped airing of the 31st season of the Ultimate Fighter, Saturday’s PPV played host to the season finale. The bantamweight and lightweight talents who had successfully navigated the fighter house and its 8-man tournament brackets faced off to find out who would be crowned the next ‘Ultimate Fighter.’

UFC superstar Conor McGregor attends an NBA finals game.
UFC superstar Conor McGregor attends an NBA finals game. – Jim Rassol IMAGO/USA TODAY Network

As one of the show’s celebrity coaches, former Bellator champion and current top-ranked UFC lightweight Michael Chandler was on hand to cheer on his team. Unsurprisingly, at this point, his rival coach—combat sports superstar Conor McGregor—was nowhere to be seen. In a recent series of audio posts to his Twitter account, McGregor looked to shed a little light on why he no-showed the finale.

Conor McGregor was told TUF finale would get its own card

In a four part audio recording that has since been deleted, Conor McGregor talked about the UFC 292 PPV, admitting that he didn’t even stay up for all of it, but did watch the prelims live. According to the SBG talent, he’s only just recently learned the value of giving more time to his friends and family, while also not disrupting his training schedule.

“Last night, I actually logged off before the PPV began,” Conor McGregor admitted. “Was it the finale, where was the finale? I asked for a full card for all these contestants, because I vouch for all of them. Some great little fighters were on that, I think. We were all over ESPN… I was told that was going to happen. That didn’t happen. Maybe now it will happen, I imagine we’ll do something, I’m sure. It’s on tape.

“I knew the finale was on, I coulda been there. But that’s John [Kavanagh], that’s Brad [Katona]… I would have loved to be there, to be honest with ya, but I said to myself, ‘I can’t keep eating into my time, here.’ And just, like, ‘Yeah, let’s go here,’ and go places and socialize. I missed family, I missed weddings and everything on the comeup… I wouldn’t even come outside the door unless it had to do with fighting. That was me…

“A good friend, a dear friend of mine said to me, ‘There comes a point, you’ve got to get back to the shop. You can’t just be handing out flowers all the time, you gotta get back to the shop,” a barely lucid McGregor continued. “I’m at that spot now. I didn’t go to the fight because of this reason… I’m here having a decent camp and I’m getting my rounds in daily. And we’ll be building off of this, body-wise and work wise. It’s going tremendous…

“Then I’m watching the fights… and I’m like, ‘Fair play that you stayed put, you didn’t fly across the world and disrupt your training. So good champ-champ, well done champ-champ’…”

Conor McGregor won’t be fighting in December

Despite not watching live, however, Conor McGregor did apparently catch up on the event after the fact, and had nothing but praise for both Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley, as well as fellow rising star Ian Garry. None of it was coherent enough to put to text, but the 35-year-old did provide some clarity on his Octagon return, pointing to Chris Weidman’s fight against Brad Tavares as just one of the reasons he likely won’t see the cage in 2023.

“They’re not gonna let me fight in December, ladies and gentlemen,” Conor McGregor admitted. “Did you see Chris Weidman? Imagine what that injury was. I feel like I’ve been kept from my livelihood. And I’ve been feeling this for years. On-off, on-off, and all of a sudden these things pop up and it’s like, ‘Wha!?’ I’m not gonna air grievances… I’m ready, yeah? I’m ready. I wanted the announcement, December 16th. I’ve given everything. It’s not gonna happen, it doesn’t look like it’s gonna happen.

“I want to show up to the gym and play. I don’t want to kill someone, I don’t want to be killed. I’m actually starting to think, now, of tomorrow’s work when I’m doing today’s work. Think of tomorrow while you’re in today, so you’ll make it to tomorrow. That’s where I’m at, at the minute.

Tough break for Michael Chandler, who still seems to firmly believe that sooner or later he and Conor McGregor will step into the Octagon for the fight the UFC promised him.

“Obviously, that’s what I’ve always signed up for,” Chandler told the assembled press at a UFC 292 media scrum (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I signed up for The Ultimate Fighter for the fight at the end of the tunnel. The fight at the end of the tunnel was Team Chandler vs. Team McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter and then Conor vs. Chandler. That’s the fight that I’ve known is going to happen the entire time, I’ve never wavered. Even when Conor is wavering, is he really wavering, or is he just trying to realize that every single one of you guys is watching every single one of his movements, every single one of his thumb strokes on Twitter.”

Maybe he’ll get his wish and Conor McGregor really and truly will make his return to the UFC sometime in the near future. For the moment, however, it seems like the former two division champion is still a long way away from anything resembling his next fight.

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UFC champ preparing to vacate title

Posted on by Zane Simon in UFC 292: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley, UFC News

For most fighters, a UFC title is the greatest achievement they can reach in the sport of MMA. Not only does it confer a position that the owner might just be the very best fighter in the world (at least at their weight class), but it’s also the only guaranteed way to get the UFC to really open their pocketbook. All things considered, it’s about the single greatest piece of leverage available in mixed martial arts.

Aljamain Sterling celebrates his UFC championship.
Aljamain Sterling celebrates his UFC championship. | Ed Mulholland, IMAGO/USA TODAY Network

Even after being stripped of his title, Francis Ngannou was still able to parlay his position as UFC heavyweight champion into a heretofore unheard of contract with the PFL. Being champion means people have to take notice. Not just fans, but executives too. Which makes Aljamain Sterling’s plans for the future very strange.

Aljamain Sterling nearly certain he’ll vacate title after UFC 292

For many fans, Aljamain Sterling’s title run still feels like a surprise. The longtime Serra-Longo product first picked up gold via a strange set of circumstances: A DQ illegal knee from then-champion Petr Yan, after which Sterling was unable to continue. Sterling followed that performance with a narrow decision win over Yan, and then a pushover fight against a badly injured TJ Dillashaw. A recent split decision over Henry Cejudo was, perhaps, the most convincing performance of Sterling’s title-fight career.

That said, the ‘Funk Master’ has still managed to build a strong resume. One which he may add to at UFC 292 in Boston this coming Saturday, August 19th. After that, win or lose, however, Sterling’s time as champion may be done. Not because he’s planning to retire, but because he sees his future at 145 lbs.

“This is more than likely my last fight at 135,” Sterling explained in a recent interview with the MMA Hour (transcript via MMA Fighting). “There’s a 99 percent chance it’s my last.

“If I win this, for sure, I’m out of here.”

“It’s Merab [Dvalishvili]’s time, man,” he added. “And the second part of that is, I’m a little bit over cutting weight, this much weight. I walk around 165, 170 [pounds]. I think I could hold that frame relatively better, and I think my conditioning and everything could actually go up a little bit more, back to when I was younger, where I was cutting less.

“I’m 34 now, so I think I just wanna get ahead of it before it gets ahead of me.”

Dvalishvili, Sterling’s longtime teammate, positioned himself as a top contender for the belt this last March, with his own win over Petr Yan. Both he and Sterling have made it clear for years now, that they would never face one another inside the cage. Even still, Sterling’s choice to vacate the belt seems surprisingly selfless of him.

A brief history of vacated UFC belts

If Sterling wins and goes through with his plans, he’d mark the 16th time that a sitting champion has volunteered to give up his belt. Even in that field however, his position looks quite unique.

First off, a whole passel of those vacated belts look a lot more like a fighter who saved the UFC the need to strip them of their title instead. Notably, Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill both vacated the light heavyweight title in the past 12 months, after suffering major injuries outside the cage, and after conversations with UFC brass. Dominick Cruz took ~2 years to make a similar move. TJ Dillashaw vacated his belt after failing a drug test that would sideline his career longterm.

Fighters like Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo, and Amanda Nunes all vacated titles in order to retire. While Daniel Cormier and Cejudo (again) vacated belts after already winning their second championship in a new division.

The fighters that fit something similar to Sterling’s profile are either old school throwbacks like Frank Shamrock & Bas Rutten (who dropped their belts at a time when there wasn’t any money to be made in MMA at any level), and Jon Jones—who ruled LHW for most of a decade before deciding he wanted to move on.

Not one of these fighters dropped their title so that their friend could take it over.

By its nature, combat sports is a selfish game. A team may be there to help a fighter train, buoy them with support, and coach them through hard times. But once they’re inside the cage, they’re effectively alone.

He’ll have to win a fight first, but if Sterling gets his hand raised at UFC 292, he’s set himself up to break new ground in the UFC. A testament to friendship if ever there was one—assuming, of course, that he actually walks the walk and doesn’t just talk the talk.

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Ian Machado Garry buries UFC 292 opponent with his own words about ‘whooping’ kids

Posted on by Zane Simon in MMA News, UFC 292: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley, UFC News

Things got a little weird this week during the UFC 292 PPV build up, when longtime welterweight gatekeeper Neil Magny took his media day time to try and bring a little trash talk to his opponent. Magny promised he’d ‘whoop’ the fast rising Irish prospect like, “a whooping that you give your son,” adding that he was “quite accustomed” to handing those out as a father.

Ian Machado Garry celebrates his win at UFC Charlotte.
Ian Machado Garry celebrates his win at UFC Charlotte. – Jim Dedmon IMAGO/USA TODAY Network

“There’s the whooping that you give somebody in high school or in grade school,” Magny explained to the attending media. “Was when, ‘He talkin’ about my mom!’ And you put a beating on him there. And there’s a whooping that you give your son, now. Like, to kinda teach him life, a little bit. Being a father, I’ve become quite accustomed to that kind of whooping now. That’s the kind of whooping I’m looking forward to giving [Ian Machado Garry] on Saturday.”

Garry pounced on the rhetoric, in a response video, holding his own child and asking “Do you want me to beat him up? I’ll beat him up, because apparently he beat his son up.”

It’s safe to say Magny wasn’t happy about this turn of events.

Neil Magny gets buried by Ian Machado Garry at pre-fight presser

The two men got a chance to sit down and hash out the issue relatively face to face at the UFC 292 pre-fight presser on Thursday, where Machado Garry took Magny to task for his statements once again.

“I think Neil was given a f—king mic yesterday, and he should sit up here on this stage and say nothing,” Machado Garry said of his opponent (transcript via MMA Junkie). “He put his f—king foot in the dirt. If he speaks today, he’s digging a hole.

“Nobody is allowed to ask Neil Magny a question today. He’s to sit there and reflect on the s—t that he said, because what he said was f—king ridiculous. … We are tackling a very, very big f—king issue here, mate. He should sit there and f—king sit down, shut up, and reflect on what he said.”

Magny attempted to step in and defend himself, but was quickly run over by Machado Garry once again.

“No, no, no—Neil’s not answering a question,” Machado Garry continued. “He’s going to sit there, and he’s going to be f—king quiet. There is no f—king right to ever put your hand on a kid, ever—discipline, anything. He’s to sit there and be quiet.”

Magny offers his rebuttal

Eventually the ‘Haitian Sensation’ was able to get a word in edgewise, where he quickly backtracked on his rhetoric, claiming that Machado Garry just wanted to “play the victim” and “knew for a fact” that Magny didn’t hit his kids.

“You want to play victim so bad, bro,” Magny told his opponent. “You know exactly what that statement meant. … You know for a fact I’ve never put a hand on my child.”

Undeterred, Machado Garry had another go at Magny later in the presser, continually talking over the former Ultimate Fighter contestant whenever he tried to answer a question. “You should be f—king ashamed of yourself,” he chided Magny, “saying you’re going to lay hands on a f—king child.”

Eventually Magny tried to lay down an ultimatum, but it did little to stop him from getting harangued.

“Do not mention my child,” he told Machado Garry. “Do not mention my child. I will slap you on this stage right now. Do not mention my child. That’s your only warning. Shut your mouth and do not mention my child. Next question please.”

Considering how the whole circus has gone, this just might be the last time Magny ever tries to build hype for a fight with some pre-event trash talk. If nothing else, it seems he’s clearly let his opponent get in his head and it’s hard not to think he won’t be carrying some extra emotions to the cage on fight night.

Support for survivors of domestic violence can be found from the following organizations:

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UFC 292 fighter claims he’ll whoop opponent like he whoops his son

Posted on by Zane Simon in MMA News, UFC 292: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley, UFC News

There’s a reason that trash talk is an art. That professional wrestlers are as lauded for their ability to perform on the mic every bit as much (if not more so) as they are their ability to perform inside the ring. Many of MMA’s most beloved fighters have become sensations for their press conference hijinks and post fight speeches as much as they have their top flight martial skill.

But, if some people are going to be great at a thing, others have to be absolutely awful at it. After all, how can we, as an audience, recognize greatness if we don’t also intrinsically understand when this ain’t it, champ.

Neil Magny cuts a terrible UFC 292 promo

Ever since rolling out of the Ultimate Fighter season 16, Neil Magny has worked hard to create a reputation as one of the most consistent talents inside the UFC Octagon. He got his first spot in the UFC rankings all the way back in 2015, following a seven-fight unbeaten run. And he’s been a fixture there ever since, keeping the gates to the welterweight division’s most elite talent.

What he’s never been in that time, is a man known for his trash talk. Now we know why.

In a media day interview for his upcoming bout at UFC 292, Magny took a swipe at his upcoming opponent, Ian Garry, saying that he was gearing up to “whoop” the Irishman like, “the whooping you give your son.” Magny quickly clarified the remark, noting that he’s become very accustomed to giving “that kind of whooping” now that he’s a father.

“There’s the whooping that you give somebody in high school or in grade school,” Magny explained to the attending media. “Was when, ‘He talkin’ about my mom!’ And you put a beating on him there. And there’s a whooping that you give your son, now. Like, to kinda teach him life, a little bit. Being a father, I’ve become quite accustomed to that kind of whooping now. That’s the kind of whooping I’m looking forward to giving [Ian Machado Garry] on Saturday.”

Whether people want to believe this means Neil Magny hits his kids or not, I think we can all agree it’s just about the weakest, most miserable fight promotion imaginable. Does this man not have sparring partners he can dominate? I know it’s been five years since he picked up a knockout, but surely he’s at least winning some rounds in the gym.

Ian Machado Garry posts response video

Unsurprisingly, once Neil Magny’s opponent got wind of this statement, he had a lot to say about it. Having modeled so much of his career after Irish UFC superstar Conor McGregor, Garry hasn’t been shy about making public statements. Magny’s lamentably bad promo was the perfect opportunity.

“Bro, he just sat there and said, ‘Being a father’—word, for word, ‘Being a father I’ve got accustomed to giving that ass whooping.'”

“Oh my goodness,” Garry continued, picking up his own son, “I would never whoop your ass. I would never whoop your ass. It’s okay. Do you want me to beat him up? I’ll beat him up, because apparently he beat his son up.”

Garry and Magny will meet on the PPV portion of this Saturday’s UFC 292 fight card. The event is set to be headlined by a pair of title fights, with bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling set to defend his belt against Sean O’Malley, and women’s strawweight champ Weili Zhang putting her crown on the line against Amanda Lemos. Hopefully the build up will include a lot less of Neil Magny’s version of trash talk.

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‘Superstar’ Ian Garry claims he’s carrying UFC 292 ‘on my back’

Posted on by Zane Simon in MMA News, UFC 292: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O'Malley, UFC News

UFC 292 looks like it’s set up to be a quality night of entertainment for UFC fans. The card is headlined by a bantamweight title fight, with champion Aljamain Sterling defending his title against action-fight standout ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley. In the co-main, strawweight champion Weili Zhang takes on hard-punching Brazilian Amanda Lemos for the first defense of her second title reign.

UFC 292 star Ian Garry celebrates in Charlotte.
Ian Garry celebrates his win at UFC Charlotte. Matt Davies IMAGO/ZUMA Wire

Between them, they have millions of followers on Twitter and Instagram, most of which belong to Sean O’Malley. If any metrics are to be believed, the 28-year-old MMA Lab talent is far and away the biggest star on the card. Except for one man, apparently…

Ian Garry thinks he’s ‘carrying’ UFC 292

There’s no question that Ian Garry looks like a star in the making. The 25-year-old former Cage Warriors champion has looked every bit a top prospect and potential title contender in his first five UFC bouts, picking up an electrifying head kick KO over Daniel Rodriguez back in May. But the key words there are ‘in the making.’

Garry only just fought his way off the prelims in his last bout. His fight at UFC 292 will be his first time ever appearing on the PPV portion of an MMA event. Still, it seems he feels the UFC’s trip to Boston couldn’t have happened without him.

“I believe that I am carrying this 292 card on my back, and that if it wasn’t for me, this card would go down the drain,” Garry quipped in a recent MMA Hour interview, when asked if he was worried he wouldn’t get to fight following a short notice opponent change (transcript via MMA Fighting). “With the opponent change and everything, at the end of the day, I’m just happy the fans get to see me, because I know there’s a lot of Irish and Brazilian support in Boston that are excited to have me there. I’m glad the fans get to watch me live in action.”

“For sure,” Garry continued when pressed about his answer. “I’m Irish. I’m fighting in Boston. They have a massive Irish contingent. I’ve just been in Brazil the last two and a half months, [and] the biggest contingent of Brazilians is in Massachusetts and Boston.

“This is the stage, the platform where I go in there, and you say it, you’ve got the likes of Sean O’Malley and Aljamain and all these guys, that I’m the superstar on the card. It happened in the last fight, it’s happening this fight, the wheels are in motion. I just have to show up and do my thing, and the world will see.”

Ian Garry got his Neal Magny fight

As hard as it is to buy Garry’s claim that he’s already a UFC star, or PPV appointment booking, his claim isn’t helped at all by his choice of opponent. Following his win over Rodriguez, Garry called for a battle against the perennial welterweight gatekeeper to the top 10, the ‘Haitian Sensation’ Neil Magny.

Unquestionably a ballsy callout for Garry, as Magny has proven to be the failing point for many other young prospects looking to push their way into the elite, but not exactly a fight to thrill anyone. Something it seems even the UFC must have felt, since Garry ended up with a booking against fast-handed power puncher Geoff Neal instead.

Unfortunately for us, however, Garry appears to have gotten just what he wanted in the end. Neal had to pull out of his bout at UFC 292 due to an as-yet undisclosed health issue, and Magny was there to pick up jump in instead.

“If I get called out, that means I’m doing something right,” Magny said, responding to Garry at a recent press conference. “It’s up to me to go out there and show these young guys, ‘Ugh, maybe I shouldn’t call Neil out again?’ kind of thing. But, that’s the name of the sport. You want to be able to solidify yourself at the top and make sure that guys are wanting to fight you. If you’re the guy in the division that everyone’s just like, ‘Nah, I don’t want to fight that guy, give me somebody else,’ and you’re not getting called? My opinion, you’re in a bad position.”

UFC 292 takes place at the TD Garden in Boston, MA this Saturday, August 19th. Alongside the two tittle fights, the event will also feature a bantamweight top contender’s bout between Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz, as well as the UFC return of former middleweight champion Chris Weidman.

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