Sean O’Malley does it! UFC 292 was the biggest opportunity of his career yet as it was the first time he fought for a title. And, in front of him was the bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling, who had won 9 straight fights up until that point.
Hence, it looked like a steep mountain to climb for O’Malley. But, being the superstar that he is, O’Malley got the job done within just two rounds at UFC 292. But, after the fight, Joe Rogan had some interesting comments on the stoppage.
The first round of the bout seemed pretty uneventful as O’Malley was extremely careful about maintaining his distance against Sterling. However, things heated up in round two when the champ started to close the distance. But, it ultimately backfired on him as O’Malley landed a beautiful counter right hand that knocked Aljo down. Suga Sean immediately followed up with some nasty ground and pound, which prompted the ref to stop the bout.
#AndNew @SugaSeanMMA #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/zdKEpZFR08
— danawhite (@danawhite) August 20, 2023
However, as the referee Marc Goddard was stopping the fight, Aljamain Sterling was still conscious and moving. While the arena erupted to celebrate Sean O’Malley’s win, UFC commentator Joe Rogan was still pondering over the stoppage. During the live PPV broadcast, Rogan added that he was “surprised” to see the fight be stopped so soon as Sterling was still moving at the time.
According to Rogan, the fight should have played out a bit longer which would have allowed Aljo to go out on his shield. It seems like fans are also in agreement with Rogan as angry reactions to the stoppage have flooded social media. One user added, “Terrible stoppage, Aljo was moving how he always moves.” Another fan also added, “early stoppage.” Showing some support for Sterling, another fan added, “early stoppage Aljo will be back.”
SEAN O’MALLEY KNOCKS OUT ALJAMAIN STERLING 😱
WE HAVE A NEW BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMP #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/imITCioq49
— UFC (@ufc) August 20, 2023
This is not the first decision from an official that Joe Rogan has called out. Earlier in the night, he was also unhappy about one judge scoring the Da’Mon Blackshear vs Mario Bautista fight 30-27 for the latter.
Aljamain Sterling wants a rematch against Sean O’Malley after UFC 292
Aljamain Sterling was on a great run before running into Sean O’Malley at UFC 292. However, it was not his night as O’Malley connected with a beautiful counter punch that Daniel Cormier of Conor McGregor’s left hand against Jose Aldo at UFC 189.
Hence, the question is, what is next for “The Funk Master” after the devastating loss? While he is not contemplating a move to featherweight just yet, Sterling certainly wants the rematch against O’Malley.
Speaking to Joe Rogan, Aljo said, “Joe, I’ve lost before, I have been knocked out before, I picked myself up and I became the UFC champion. Do not be surprised if you come back, you see me here again (and) this time getting the belt.”
So what are your thoughts on the stoppage and the fight as a whole? Let us know in the comments down below.