Recently, the UFC 292 event in Boston set the stage for a major upset. The reigning Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling found his throne taken over by challenger Sean O’Malley. In an exciting bout, ‘Sugar’ outdid the ‘Funkmaster’ within 51 seconds of the second round. After landing a well-timed right on an off-balance Aljamain, ‘Sugar’ met the champion with an onslaught of rights and hammerfists. The barrage, which proved too much for Sterling to handle, led to the referee’s intervention.

After the TKO victory, Sean O’Malley took over as the new Bantamweight champion. However, Merab Dvalishvili, Sterling’s teammate and friend took to X to rant about an early stoppage. Amidst these accusations, the MMA world still agrees on Sean O’Malley’s superior performance. However, in a recent interview, Merab talked to TMZ about an external factor that was previously not taken into account. Citing this as the X Factor for Sterling’s loss, Merab clarified.

Merab reveals why Sean O’Malley was able to capitalize on Sterling at UFC 292

The reporter began the line of questioning by addressing Aljamain’s approach in the second round. He asked, “In hindsight Merab, did Aljamain, did he come out too aggressive in the second round or is that just how fighting goes?”. Merab replied, “What happened was, so Aljo always fights smart. He can. He’s so good you know, He can do everything he wants but he always fights smart. He was fighting smart. The second round the people started booing again”. According to ‘The Machine’ Merab, this is where things began to fall apart for ‘The Funkmaster’.

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‘The Machine’ blamed this external factor for Aljamain’s supposedly different approach in the second round. He continued, “Then Aljo tried to make excited fight. That’s where he decided to strike more, punch and then he stepped wrong and that’s where Sean got him. But he dropped but like I said, he was still fine he was still fighting”. Wanting to excite a crowd that was against him, ‘Aljo’ overstepped and got caught by Sean O’Malley, ending the title fight. In closing, Merab said, “He actually said that that was the main reason why he made adjustments to it and go stepping and just go to strike. That’s why he did the mistake. Because usually, he’s controlled and the effect’s for sure like 1000 percent”.

Merab shares a hopeful message for the future

Merab also gave Sean O’Malley his flowers during the interview. He also shared his perspective on being affected by the crowd. ‘The Machine’ spoke, “I ignore it but sometimes it’s hard”. He appreciated ‘Sugar’s fighting and clarified that their observation does not take away from  O’Malley’s performance. Merab clarified, “Sean is a good fighter, he’s a great striker. He did what he was supposed to do. And we respect before, we respect now”.

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Merab also seemed supportive and hopeful about his friend ‘The Funkmaster’. He defended the Bantamweight in his defeat and had some inspiring words to say. Merab continued, “From my opinion he has not really lost. Loss is when you lost three round or five rounds or something, you get dominated. But this can happen with anybody”. He ended on a positive note and said, “Next fight he’ll come back and dominate”. Fans will also look forward to Sterling’s next fight and see whether he can someday claim the title back from O’Malley.

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