Aljamain Sterling took the opportunity to demand a rematch against Sean O’Malley after winning a grappling match at Polaris 25 in Wales on Saturday.
“Funk Master” picked up a decision win over Mike Grundy in a 10-minute match to return to the win column after losing his Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title to O’Malley last month.
“Sugar” floored Sterling in the second frame, ultimately securing a technical knockout victory in their UFC 292 headliner clash on Aug. 19. This also opened up the title picture for Sterling’s close friend and training partner, Merab Dvalishvili, who had avoided fighting for the strap during his friend’s title reign. “The Machine” has since clarified that he will only fight for the title next, even if he must wait for Sterling to get a rematch.
Meanwhile, O’Malley has seemingly downplayed both matchups while declaring a potential grudge match against Marlon Vera “the biggest fight to make.”
Following his recent victory in Wales, Sterling proceeded to call out O’Malley for ducking “top contenders” while demanding a rematch for himself or Dvalishvili’s long-due shot at the title.
“I got a message for Mr. Suga T—s because he’s still that to me. Hey, give me my rematch or fight Merab. It’s that simple,” Sterling said. “Stop ducking the top contenders and be a man and be a real champion. Fight the best of the best. That’s what I did and now you need to turn around and do the same exact s—t Let’s go.”
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