Aljamain Sterling explains why it “would be weird” if Sean O’Malley got a title shot with a win over Petr Yan

Aljamain Sterling isn’t certain that Sean O’Malley should get a title shot if he defeats Petr Yan at UFC 280.

O’Malley is set for the toughest test of his career when he faces the number one contender at bantamweight in Yan. Many think if O’Malley gets his hand raised he will get the next title shot, especially with Sterling defending his title against TJ Dillashaw on the same card.

Yet, according to Sterling, he isn’t sold on O’Malley getting a title shot as he thinks it would be weird for ‘Suga’ to get a title shot before Marlon Vera who has a first-round TKO win over O’Malley.

Image Credit: Sean O’Malley’s Instagram (photographer not listed)

“I mean it would be hard to deny him, whether it’s me or TJ, knock on wood it’s me,” Sterling said to LowKick MMA’s James Lynch. “It would be hard to deny the guy, that would be his second real test, and if he passes it, it would just be kind of weird for him to get a title shot over ‘Chito’ the guy who knocked him out in the first round in like under three minutes. It would be kind of weird, so I don’t know. Yes, or no, if we are going to be the popularity contest which the UFC kind of is, then I would say O’Malley.”

As Aljamain Sterling notes, Marlon Vera does hold a win over Sean O’Malley. The two fought in the co-main event of UFC 252 with Vera winning by first-round TKO, in a fight, O’Malley hurt his ankle and kept on rolling it before ‘Chito’ got on top and got the ground and pound TKO win. However, in order for any of this to be a discussion, O’Malley will need to defeat Yan at UFC 280, which the oddsmakers don’t expect him to do.

Do you agree with Aljamain Sterling that it would be weird for Sean O’Malley to get a title shot with a win over Petr Yan?