“When Aljo comes forward, his clumsy style is effective in MMA,” O’Malley said in a recent episode of his podcast. “He has to be given credit, because when we see him hitting, we’re like, ‘What the hell is that!?’, but look what he’s achieved. So his clumsy style is effective, but this time he’ll fall because I’m a sniper.”
“You can’t go forward on me with tangled legs and with my chin up, because I will find him, and I will do it more than once. I will not claim that I will go out and turn off his light with one blow. I just believe that I will hit him over and over again until he falls.”
Having taken the belt from Sterling, O’Malley plans to make his first title defense against the winner of the duel between Henry Cejudo and Marlon Vera, who will face off that evening.
“Corey will not get a title shot next. Rather, it will be the winner of the fight between Henry and Chito. If he wins, Chito is more likely to get a title fight. I will pick an opponent after I beat Sterling.”
Recall that both fights will take place on August 19 at UFC 292 in Boston, and Cory Sandhagen will share the octagon with Russian Umar Nurmagomedov two weeks earlier.