Daniel Cormier supports potential Henry Cejudo versus Sean O’Malley fight for the number one contender spot.
Aljamain Sterling turned the bantamweight division upside down by announcing a long-layoff for a torn bicep. ‘Funk Master’ was rumored to defend his title against Cejudo in March, but the possibility of him fighting so soon is next to zero.
Once the news of Sterling’s injury surfaced, O’Malley suggested he and Cejudo fight for an interim bantamweight championship. However, Daniel Cormier disagrees with ‘Sugar’.
The former two-division UFC champion had this to say during a video on his YouTube channel:
“O’Malley said he would fight Cejudo if ‘Aljo’s unavailable. I’m in on that one. Don’t do an interim, though. Aljamain Sterling is the champion. He deserves time because he’s been active and he’s fought everyone. Whoever they put in front of him, he fights… Honestly, he needs to be the one to fight Cejudo because it takes away all of the questions from the disqualification against Petr Yan [in their first fight].”
Some people believe the UFC should continue rolling if Sterling gets bicep surgery, but Cormier thinks that the bantamweight king deserves better.
‘Aljo’ defended his throne twice in 2022 and struggled through a torn bicep in the process. Despite ‘Funk Master’ saying he could be ready in April, Cormier thinks he might not return to the octagon so soon.
Watch Daniel Cormier discuss Aljamain Sterling below:
Daniel Cormier doesn’t think Aljamain Sterling will enter the octagon anytime soon
Aljamain Sterling was candid about his torn bicep. The bantamweight king revealed that he wouldn’t be concerned with fighting Sean O’Malley with the injury, but going against a wrestler like Henry Cejudo would be risky with a compromised arm as the bicep is heavily involved in stuffing takedowns.
During the same YouTube video, Daniel Cormier had this to say about the situation:
“It sounds like the champ is taking a stand with the torn bicep, so I don’t think we will see him in the octagon anytime soon… He’s a real champ now. You can’t doubt the ‘Funk Master’, and if you’re not prepared, this dude will drag you into the deep waters. I cannot wait to see him back. Be 100% healthy, though, if you’re gonna fight Henry Cejudo.”
The MMA community has disrespected Sterling ever since he became the champion in March 2021 via DQ in his initial outing with Yan.
‘Funk Master’ overcame adversity and defeated Petr Yan fair and square in their subsequent rematch. On the contrary, the UFC’s evident interest in keeping the bantamweight division moving makes [financial] sense, especially considering there are several contenders worthy of a title shot in 2023.