Sean O’Malley isn’t content with waiting, so he requested a fight to keep the division moving. In an earlier interview, he proposed an interim title bout between him and Henry Cejudo at UFC 285.
Furthermore, Aljamain Sterling has no objections to the matchup as long as Cejudo makes the right call.
Previously, Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo were rumored to face each other on the big stage, UFC 285. It was supposed to be a pay-per-view event that was scheduled for March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
All the stages before making the final decision were there before the tragic news hit the ground. The current UFC bantamweight champion announced his bicep injury news before the primary checkup. For that reason, Funk Master isn’t confirmed for the following matchup in Las Vegas.
Aljamain Sterling says Henry Cejudo can wait for him or go fight Sean O’Malley 👀#UFC pic.twitter.com/DREqlh89kU
— All Access MMA (@AllAccessMMA247) January 17, 2023
Meanwhile, Sean, who hasn’t played any matches since defeating Petr Yan at UFC 280, is eagerly waiting for a fight. So he took this injury update as an opportunity to get back in the cage. The 28-year-old believes a fight between him and The Messenger will be a game changer for the company. The fans would love to see something like that.
It will also be a pay-per-view event with an interim title, which should keep things interesting. On a recent episode of the BrOMalley Show, Sugar shared his thoughts on the following matchup.
“It would be perfect: Me vs. Henry for the interim belt at UFC 285; tell me that ain’t fire. I wish they would. I texted UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell, and I texted UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby. I said, ‘Will you at least give me an idea? Will you at least say yes or no? Is Henry vs. Aljo happening? They just don’t know. They’re kind of just trying to wait and see if Sterling can do it or what; I’m frustrated, but I’m okay because I’m just training.”
.@funkmasterMMA is willing to fight Henry Cejudo if he can wait, but isn't "mad" if Cejudo wants "the easier fight" against Sean O'Malley for an interim title 👀 #TheMMAHour
▶️ https://t.co/KKmh6PzVoM pic.twitter.com/JI7gTAyroU
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) January 16, 2023
However, the former cage fury fighting champion also shared his point of view and opinion about the recent situation. He thinks it’s all up to Henry; if he thinks he wants to wait for the 33-year-old, then he can wait a bit longer; on the other hand, he can dismiss the bout and go with Sugar’s proposal. Although the Jamaican-American MMA fighter is optimistic about his next injury update.
