Aljamain Sterling took a gamble. He was banking on Sean O’Malley’s supposed star power. But, alas, he walked away feeling less than thrilled.
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Now, let’s talk numbers. Sterling (23-4) lost his title to O’Malley (17-1) in a second-round knockout. This was the main event at UFC 292 in August. He got a slice of the pay-per-view sales. But those numbers? Not what he’d hoped for.
He didn’t spill the exact figure. But on his YouTube channel, Sterling was clearly disappointed. “These are the numbers that this guy was trying to say he’s this big pay-per-view star?” He was shocked. He told his partner, “If I had any idea this is what the numbers would have been, my ass would have waited and taken my vacation then.”
Sterling’s fight against O’Malley was just three months after a successful title defense against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288. Sterling thought he was in for a big payday. After all, his opponent was one of the biggest stars of the sport today.
He took a chance. “I trusted that the bag was going to be this blow-me-away kind of thing, bigger than all the other ones,” he said. But it wasn’t. Still, he’s not too bitter. He made some extra money, had a good year, and life’s good. He can take care of himself and his family.
Now, Sterling’s got his sights set on featherweight. He wanted a fight against former champ Max Holloway. But he’ll be facing Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 on April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.