O'Malley will face three-time defending bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in the main event of UFC 292 in Boston on Saturday.
O’Malley realized early on that talent alone would only get you so far in the UFC. Similar to another brash star in Conor McGregor, the Arizona native looked the part — tattoos all over his body, a massive afro that was dyed different colors — and talked the part — he wasn’t afraid to mix it up verbally with other fighters including Sterling, who he jawed with in the cage after Sterling’s most recent title defense in May.
But that bravado isn’t why he’s fighting for a belt this weekend. One of the best strikers in the UFC, O’Malley’s stature is rarely seen in the bantamweight division. It’s an advantage that allows him to attack his opponent with vicious strikes while keeping the distance and remaining out of harm’s way.“I fought Sandhagen, he was tall. I fought Cody Gibson, he was tall as well. I’ve trained with Julian Erosa, Javid Basharat, a lot of guys taller than me,” Sterling told.
“I’m sure he’s good on the ground but I just think there’s levels,” Sterling said. “But I’m not afraid to strike with the guy. I mean, if he does a good job with defending takedowns, then the fight stays standing. And if he doesn’t, the fight hits the ground and then he gets to show what he can actually do down there and I get to show the skill gap and the difference in what I can do.”
“I definitely don’t think I suck on the ground by any means,” he said. “I’ve been training with really, really good guys for a long time, but this fight’s very simple to me: keep it on the feet. I don’t want to grapple. I don’t want to prove that I can grapple with Aljo. I don’t want to try to wrestle. I want to keep it on the feet and knock him out.”Saturday’s main event will have heavy implications for both fighters.
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