Aljamain Sterling has been the reigning UFC bantamweight champion since March 2021. The funk master has a record of 22 victories in 25 professional MMA fights. This American became the new bantamweight champion after Petr Yan was stripped of his title at UFC 259 for illegal knee movement.
Sterling had successfully defended his title twice, one against Petr Yan by a contentious split decision, and the latest was against former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw by TKO in the co-main event of UFC 280.
Now fans are excited to learn about who would be the next fighter to challenge for the bantamweight title. As per the data from different insiders, we have made a list of three fighters who could feature in the upcoming bantamweight title defense bout of Aljamain Sterling.
Aljamain Sterling’s next probable opponent
#1 Henry Cejudo
The former flyweight and bantamweight champion, Henry Cejudo, might return to the Octagon again. In a recent interview, Dana White hinted about the return, as the UFC president is not satisfied with Sterling’s performance in the last 3 bouts. Cejudo holds a record of 16 wins out of his 18 professional appearances. Besides, “the messenger” is the only person who has simultaneously held the UFC title and an Olympic gold medal. Though Sterling is frustrated about the news, it could be an epic battle between these two if Cejudo actually returns.
#2 Sean O’Malley
Sean O’Malley is currently one of the finest fighters in the bantamweight division of UFC, in his professional MMA career, O’Malley had secured 16 victories out of his 18 appearances. In his last bout at UFC 280, Sugar successfully defeated the former UFC bantamweight champion, Petr Yan, by a split decision. With that, O’Malley has established himself as the worthiest bantamweight title challenger. If everything goes as planned, O’Malley will feature in the upcoming bantamweight title bout.
#3 T J Dillashaw
In the co-main event of UFC 280, the former bantamweight champion, Dillashaw, failed to reclaim the title against Aljamain Sterling. But it was reported Dillashaw was suffering from an injury, which led to the easy second-round victory for the funk master. Some fans consider that the 17-5 MMA record holder deserves a fair chance to reclaim the belt again.
