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After UFC 292, Sean O’Malley’s stock value rose dramatically. And as far as CEO Dana White is concerned, the 29-year-old deserves all the credit for the successful turnout of their Boston pay-per-view event in August.
However, after seeing the reported PPV numbers for the said card, opponent Aljamain Sterling has some doubts about ‘Sugar’ Sean’s star power.
Sterling questions Sean O’Malley’s star power
During the post-fight presser, White had nothing but praises for Sean O’Malley.
“This is also the biggest bantamweight championship fight ever on pay-per-view, globally. It broke the record. Biggest bantamweight championship fight ever. I’m sure you saw the crowd at the end,” he told the media then.
“O’Malley isn’t gonna be a star. He is a star.”
Sterling, however, has some questions.
“I was just watching something with my lady and I got the Pay-Per-View numbers, and me and her were going through it,” he said on his YouTube channel (quotes by MMA Fighting). “And I’m just like, ‘These are the numbers that this guy was trying to say he’s this big PPV star? Oh my god.”
What adds insult to injury for Sterling was agreeing to step in at UFC 292. Coming off his UFC 288 win in May, he hesitated to step in and fight again after just three months.
“When I saw the numbers, I literally sat there — if I had any idea that this is what the numbers would have been, if I could have predicted that this is what it would have been, my ass would have waited and taken my vacation then and geared up to fight now.
“Because this is ultimately when they said I would be able to fight, January, February, March because if I didn’t fight in August, they wouldn’t have had any other ‘spots.’
Ultimately, Sterling isn’t regretting this decision, despite the disappointing result against Sean O’Malley.
“It is what it is. I rolled the dice. I trusted that the bag was going to be this, wow, blow me away, bigger than all the other ones. It wasn’t.
“So with that being said, it is what it is. I’m still happy I made some extra money. I had a really good year. Life’s good.”
UFC 292 PPV numbers
So, how did UFC 292 fare in terms of PPV numbers? Former double-champ Henry Cejudo said it did a measly 350K. Sean O’Malley, of course, was quick to rebut, stating it reached 570K based on his claimed insider information.
The UFC stopped disclosing official PPV numbers since it began its broadcast partnership with ESPN in 2019. But if we’re looking at a supposed record-breaking live gate that exceeded $7 million, you could call it a resounding success.
“We broke the all-time gate record here. Bruce Springsteen just played here and did $5 million. We did over $7 million,” White said during the presser.
“The Boston Garden. The craziest f—ng sports town on Earth. Other than their team that plays here, we’re the biggest thing that’s ever been here. So what does that tell you about O’Malley?”
What’s next for Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley?
Right after winning the belt, Sean O’Malley wanted a rematch against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. The UFC heeded, and the two will now headline UFC 299 on March 9 in Florida.
As for Aljo, he will make his featherweight debut against Calvin Kattar at the anticipated UFC 300 on April 13 in Las Vegas.
