The bad blood between reigning UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and top contender Sean O’Malley is beginning to boil over heading into tomorrow night (Sat., Aug. 19, 2023) at UFC 292 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside TD Garden in Boston, Mass. The two will collide atop the main card for the undisputed 135-pound title.
Sterling and O’Malley are not on good terms heading into their PPV title fight. Outside of fighting each other for a UFC belt the two bantamweights have been trading barbs on social media for what seems like forever. Sterling obviously has more bragging rights because of his current champ status and overall divisional record, but O’Malley is one of the biggest stars in the promotion today and isn’t afraid to let “Funk Master” know it.
Things heated up even more this week as the two fighters began to cross paths in the lead up to UFC 292. On Thursday, they finally got to discuss their matchup at UFC 292’s pre-fight press conference (watch HERE). Let’s just say things were not cordial.
At the end of the press conference, Sterling and O’Malley came face-to-face for one of their only few staredowns. The original broadcast feed certainly captured the intensity, but it wasn’t until UFC president Dana White released his own on-stage footage that fans truly saw the tension between the two fighters.
Check it out below:
“I’m going to fold you and slap you in the head,” said Sterling.
“You can’t handle these baby,” responded O’Malley holding up both of his hands. “Which one? Which one? Want the right hand or left hand?”
White eventually had to step in, but enough was heard to know these two will deliver fireworks atop UFC 292 in Boston come Saturday night. Sterling is the betting favorite to utilize his wrestling and defend his title, but O’Malley is always one shot away from securing a knockout win. It should be interesting.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 292 fight card right RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 292: “Sterling vs. O’Malley” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 292 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
