The fans witnessed a heated end to the UFC 288 pay-per-view. As Joe Rogan stepped up to take Aljamain Sterling‘s interview, Sean O’Malley stormed into the Octagon and stood face-to-face with the champion. The faceoff quickly started to pick up steam, and both Dana White and Joe Rogan had to intervene and separate the two fighters.

Aljamain Sterling prevailed in his third title defense against a returning Henry Cejudo. The Olympian had plans to fight Sean O’Malley and Alexander Volkanovski after the UFC 288 return. But it did not turn out in Cejudo’s favor. But Dana White has confirmed Sterling’s next challenger.

Dana White confirms Sean O’Malley vs Aljamain Sterling

The 53-year-old promoter appeared during the post-fight press conference and addressed what transpired at the end of the PPV. White regretted his decision to allow Sean O’Malley to get inside the Octagon and confront the bantamweight champion. But he assured the fans that ‘Suga’ was next in line for the championship fight. He said, “I have had better ideas than what I did tonight. [It was] not a great idea, but yes, he’s next.”

Dana White also revealed that Aljamain Sterling’s fourth title defense will be a summer showdown. When one of the reporters asked him if Boston was the venue for the fight, White said, “Probably.” It will certainly be one of the most anticipated fights of the year.

Sean O’Malley believes the fight should have gone in Cejudo’s favor

In a backstage interview, ‘Suga’ spoke to Megan Olivi and mentioned that he was surprised to see the judge’s decision. He firmly stated that the fight was in Henry Cejudo’s hand because ‘Triple C’ won the majority of the rounds. Sean O’Malley even mocked ‘Triple C’ at his loss and called him lucky not to have faced him. He further mentioned his assessments of the fight in the post-fight press conference.

O’Malley said, “Thought Henry was up 3-1 going into the fifth. I was honestly pretty surprised that Aljo won.” He added, “I thought Henry did what he had to do…I thought Henry looked good.” O’Malley was hoping to face Cejudo, but he is happy to have his title shot.

READ MORE: Demetrious Johnson Defends Henry Cejudo as Controversial Scorecard Debate Takes Centre Stage After UFC 288

Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo went toe-to-toe against each other and ‘Funkmaster’ didn’t perform the way he would have hoped for. However, he will hope to do better against Sean O’Malley, who has only one loss in his last five fights.

What are your thoughts about the Sterling vs O’Malley fight? Let us know in the comments down below.

WATCH THIS STORY: UFC legend takes a jibe at the diminishing power of Francis Ngannou