The title bout between Sean O’Malley and current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has been the subject of speculation, and UFC president Dana White provided a humorous response during the press conference at UFC Vegas 73.
During the conference, White was asked about the status of the bantamweight title scheduled for UFC 292. He revealed that he had received a phone call claiming that Sterling would withdraw from the bout.
In a playful turn of events, White challenged the attending journalists to guess the star’s identity in three attempts, offering a reward of $100 for the correct answer.
Journalist Amy Kaplan made Henry Cejudo her first guess, which turned out to be spot-on. White promptly got up, took out $100 from his pocket, and handed it to Kaplan.
In other announcements, Dana White recently confirmed a highly anticipated clash between Sean O’Malley and Aljamain Sterling, scheduled for UFC 292 on August 19. The event is set to take place at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Despite speculation arising from Sterling’s comments during an interview on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, where he hinted that the August date might not work for him, White clarified during the UFC Vegas 73 press conference that the bout is still happening.
O’Malley responded to Sterling’s remarks on The BroMalley Show. Regardless of the circumstances, ‘Suga’ affirmed that he will show up for the card on August 19, whether Sterling is his opponent or if a replacement is found.
“I’m showing up August 19th, whether [Sterling] shows up or they put someone else in there. Daddy’s main eventing, headlining for the belt regardless, whether it’s [Sterling] or not.”
With O’Malley’s rising popularity, he has become one of the standout names in the UFC’s bantamweight division. If ‘Suga’ can secure a victory against Sterling at UFC 292, the 28-year-old has the potential to elevate his status even further and become one of the promotion’s biggest stars.