Aljamain Sterling thinks Sean O'Malley changing his lifestyle won’t make a difference ahead of UFC 316.
After losing the promotion’s bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) by unanimous decision at UFC 306 this past September, O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will get an immediate rematch in the June 7 headliner (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
O’Malley said he plans to cut out social media, marijuana, and other things to help him in his quest to regain the title. With O’Malley having plenty of success with those things in the past, Sterling thinks O’Malley should focus more on improving his skills.
“So which part did it say, ‘Yeah, and I added in wrestling training sessions,'” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “I mean of course, maybe he is. It’s just funny that everyone made such a big thing, ‘Oh he’s changing his life, he’s giving up the Mary Jane.’
“I’m like, those are the things that technically made you who you are and a champion. So, for someone to tell me to go cold turkey, no more drinking, no edibles, nothing, I’m going to look at them like, ‘This is what got me here, why would I stop?'”
Sterling pointed to UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and rising welterweight contender Carlos Prates as examples of fighters who are successful without necessarily living the healthiest of lifestyles. The former UFC bantamweight champion thinks it’s all mental.
“Carlos Prates, you shouldn’t be smoking ciggies,” Sterling said. “This guy is smoking loosies the day of the fight and not even like one. The man is damn near going through a whole pack, putting guys in the ground.
“So, I’m sitting here like, nah, it’s got to be some type of method to the madness about the mental mind frame that you have to be in when you’re going into the fight. I think that’s the most important thing, like are you comfortable? Are you happy? And if you’re losing after that, then maybe you’ve changed some things up.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 316.
