Sean O'Malley: Aljamain Sterling saying he's fighting against his will a 'built-in excuse'

LAS VEGAS – Sean O'Malley isn’t buying that Aljamain Sterling is fighting against his will.

O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) in the UFC 292 headliner on Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston.

Sterling recently claimed that he’s fighting O’Malley against his will due to the quick turnaround. However, O’Malley thinks “The Funkmaster” is just setting up an excuse by saying he’s not 100 percent healthy.

“He’s been very vocal, he’s got some kind of bicep injury or something,” O’Malley told reporters backstage at UFC 290. “He said that before the last fight against Henry (Cejudo). It’s a built-in excuse to say, ‘Oh, I got these injuries and I’m going into this fight,’ and I beat him, and he’s like, ‘Well, you guys already knew. I said I was injured, I didn’t want to fight.’

“Built-in excuse is what it sounds like. He’s going to make the fight. He’s going to get paid, he’s going to make it there. We’ll see how he shows up, but I do think he’s taking this fight very serious. I do think he looks at me as very dangerous. So, I expect the best Aljamain to show up.”

According to BetMGM, O’Malley is a +220 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the challenger would win $220 profit. Sterling is a -275 favorite, meaning a $275 bet would be needed on the champion to return $100 profit. Based on their resumes, O’Malley thinks the odds are fair.

“Look at who he’s beat, look at the guys he’s beat in the last four, five fights,” O’Malley said. “My best win is over Petr Yan. A very close fight, a very tough fight. So, looking at it like that, it makes sense.

“But, that’s what me vs. Petr was, the same odds. I think they were even worse at one point. So, I like that. It fuels me. It’s exciting to go in there and fight the best bantamweight in the world. I go out there and put his lights out, what does that make me?”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.