Aljamain Sterling reveals Sean O’Malley fight will be his last at bantamweight: “S*it is getting old”

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is already looking beyond Sean O’Malley.

‘The Funk Master’ has been out of action since his clash with Henry Cejudo last month. The bout was the former champion’s first in over three years, as the two bantamweights headlined UFC 288. In the pay-per-view main event, Aljamain Sterling retained his title by split decision.

Just over a month later, the bantamweight champion already has his next assignment. Aljamain Sterling will defend his title against Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in August, in the promotion’s return to Boston. ‘Sugar’ earned the title shot by scoring a split-decision win over Petr Yan last October.

Nonetheless, Aljamain Sterling’s fight with Sean O’Malley in August will be his last at 135 pounds. During a recent interview with Chamatkar Sandhu, the bantamweight champion discussed his return. There, he revealed that his next title defense will be his last, but not due to his opponents in the weight class.

Instead, the champion offered that his brutal weight cut has forced the move. Aljamain Sterling has long discussed the struggle to make it down to bantamweight, so his comments don’t come as a massive surprise.

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“This is probably my last fight at bantamweight,” Aljamain Sterling revealed in the interview ahead of his return against Sean O’Malley. “…More than likely. Even if I were to learn, and get my hand raised, it damn sure ain’t because of Sean O’Malley running me out of the division. It’s more so, this s*it is getting old man. It hurts… It’s the weight cut.”

He continued, “…But yeah. Like I said, I want to learn, [and] this is more than likely my last one at bantamweight.”

What do you make of these comments from Aljamain Sterling? Do you think he’ll defeat Sean O’Malley at UFC 292?