UFC 292 saw a new bantamweight champion emerge as Sean O’Malley knocked down Aljamain Sterling in the second round of their title fight. ‘Suga’ delivered the most significant moment of his career in counter-punching Sterling and subsequently finishing him off with a barrage of hammer fists. After his win, Henry Cejudo pointed out several holes in his game and also alluded to his troubles with USADA in the past to provoke O’Malley into a fight.
The road to the title was an arduous journey, but it was evidently even harder for Sterling owing to unforeseen circumstances. The hardships began for O’Malley in 2019 when he could not pass a series of drug tests. As a result, he was pulled from a potential fight at UFC 229. Suga tested positive for a banned substance called ostarine via out-of-competition urine samples he provided on August 6, 2019, and August 12, 2019.
🚨SUGA vs ALJO BREAKDOWN🚨@SugaSeanMMA, How can you call yourself the World Champ if you’re not the King of your own city? I’m still looking for a tune up, precious 💋
FULL BREAKDOWN: https://t.co/eAkpGTwxv7@liftedtrucksaz 🛻 pic.twitter.com/jb37snJ639
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) August 22, 2023
The pattern of low urinary ostarine concentrations observed in multiple samples provided by O’Malley was consistent with exposure to ostarine as a contaminant, according to a statement released by USADA. This resulted in a 6-month ban for O’Malley, which was followed by another 6-month ban, when he failed another test for the same substance.
Consequently, ‘Suga’ missed 2 years of Octagon action due to this saga. Eventually, O’Malley was cleared of all wrongdoing after complying thoroughly with USADA, who deemed the levels of ostarine in his system as consistent with taking a contaminated supplement that was out of his control. Alluding to this incident Cejudo said, “I would take you down faster than USADA did.” In his attempt to cajole the bantamweight champion into a fight.
Interestingly, O’Malley holds no grudge against USADA as he considers his title proof of his greatness and innocence.
Henry Cejudo is one of many potential opponents for Sean O’Malley after his win at UFC 292
There is no respite for a champion, as Sean O’Malley is discovering after his commendable win over Aljamain Sterling. Opponents are springing across the combat sports world, with O’Malley himself naming a few. At the post-fight press conference, Suga expressed his desire to take on Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis in boxing. Tank, who is undefeated as a boxer, boasts a record of 29 fights, 29 wins with 27 of them coming in via KO.
In the UFC, Suga toyed with the idea of defending his title against Marlon Vera to avenge his only loss in the UFC. The pair first fought in 2020, with Vera coming out the victor in the first round via TKO, resulting from vicious punches and elbows.
Another contender is Merab Dvalishvili, who is number one on the UFC bantamweight rankings. Moreover, there could be a potential rematch against Sterling. Therefore, Cejudo’s provocations, though amusing, might not be enough to goad the champion into the octagon with him.
Who will O’Malley take on? Only time will tell.