Aljamain Sterling "can't respect" Sean O'Malley's win over Marlon Vera, 'Sugar' retorts with KO banter

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has criticized reigning UFC bantamweight champion 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley after his rematch against Marlon Vera. For his part, O'Malley fired back at 'Funkmaster' with a subtle jibe.

In August 2023, Sterling lost his UFC bantamweight title against O'Malley via second-round TKO. 'Funkmaster' hasn't competed since, and he's scheduled to move up to featherweight next. Meanwhile, 'Sugar' returned at UFC 299 (March 9, 2024) and defended his title by beating Marlon 'Chito' Vera via unanimous decision, avenging his lone MMA defeat.

During his UFC 299 post-fight octagon interview, 'Sugar' requested UFC CEO Dana White for a jet to Spain, suggesting he'd like to fight UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. Alternatively, O'Malley opined that he'd be open to defending his bantamweight belt against Sterling's friend and teammate, top-tier bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili.

In a video posted to his FunkMasterMMA YouTube channel, Aljamain Sterling asserted that he can't respect Sean O'Malley for his victory over Marlon Vera. 'Funkmaster' insinuated that 'Chito' was undeservingly moved up to the top-five ranks by the UFC to portray him as an elite fighter heading into UFC 299.

Sterling believes that the UFC and O'Malley wanted him to face an easier opponent than Dvalishvili while having 'Sugar' avenge his past defeat against Vera.

Moreover, he clarified that he generally respects anyone who competes, which includes respecting O'Malley's competing and winning. Regardless, Sterling implied that given the variables at play, 'Sugar' should fight Dvalishvili to earn his respect. Pointing out that O'Malley should've called 'The Machine' out and done the right thing rather than issuing a call-out to Topuria, 'Funkmaster' stated:

"I feel like there's been another title fight -- and I don't wanna say names. There's been another title fight where a guy wanted to avenge his loss against a guy who's ranked in the top 15, and he won. But it's just one of those things where, 'Yeah, you won. But it'd be nice to fight the guy who's next in line.'"

He added:

"So, that's the only thing that I feel a little bit awkward about, 'cause I'm like, 'Yeah, you won. But you won against a guy that we were all expecting you to beat.' So, as a champion, it's hard for me to put a lot of stock in that 'cause I just can't respect it as much."

Check out some of Sterling's comments in the video clip on X below:

Watch Sterling's detailed assessment below (7:09):

The aforementioned video clip on X, featuring snippets from Aljamain Sterling's criticism, seems to have piqued Sean O'Malley's attention. 'Sugar' responded to the tweet by indicating that he'd KO'd Sterling in the latter's most recent fight. O'Malley tweeted:

"Wonder his thoughts on the last guy I knocked out lolz jokes"

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Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera: Is another title defense on the cards for 'Sugar' next?

Following UFC 299, UFC featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria put forth a congratulatory tweet for Sean O'Malley. However, the Spanish MMA stalwart of Georgian descent highlighted that before 'Sugar' could face him, the bantamweight kingpin must defend his belt against Dvalishvili.

Presently, the UFC hasn't officially announced Sean O'Malley's next opponent and exact comeback date. Nevertheless, given that O'Malley has just one title defense thus far and Topuria is yet to notch his first, their potential super-fight appears unlikely to materialize next. Ergo, a 135-pound title defense against Dvalishvili seems the likelier option the UFC would book for O'Malley.