How ‘One Mistake’ Sparked Shocking Title Change At UFC 292 In Boston

BOSTON — Aljamain Sterling entered the octagon Saturday as both the UFC bantamweight champion and the heavy favorite against Sean O’Malley.

Sterling left the cage lamenting “one mistake” that cost him dearly, as O’Malley delivered a punishing right hook in the second round that paved the way for a shocking title change at UFC 292 in Boston.

“It definitely sucks, I’m not going to lie about that,” Sterling said of his knockout defeat at TD Garden, which snapped a nine-fight winning streak that included three successful title defenses. “There was a lot coming into this fight — the quick turnaround and everything — but I was happy to do it. No excuses. Sean, he did a good job with the one thing I knew he would be good at it — that stepback counter — and yeah, just a good shot, man.

“I felt like I saw something else, I stepped in, he capitalized on the one mistake that I made, and I paid for it.”

All three judges scored the first round in favor of Sterling, the superior grappler who leaned on early leg kicks, perhaps in an effort to soften up O’Malley for a subsequent takedown.

The problem for Sterling? The fight never went to the mat. O’Malley, with a distinct height advantage, kept Sterling at a distance, seemingly waiting for the opportunity to unleash a match-altering haymaker.

That opportunity presented itself in the first minute of Round 2 when Sterling leaned in for a left hook. O’Malley, an expert striker, stepped back and uncorked a right hand that caught Sterling square on the chin.

Sterling hit the mat — just not the way he intended.

“It is what it is, man. Losing sucks. It always does. Especially losing to him,” Sterling said, with a chuckle. “But honestly, he’s a good fighter, man. A lot of the things I said coming into this fight — I said I respect his skills, I know what he’s good at, I know what my strengths are, and he was able to capitalize on that tonight.”

O’Malley wasted no time in pouncing on Sterling after the champ went down, delivering a flurry of punches until referee Marc Goddard stepped in. Sterling believes he could’ve kept fighting but doesn’t blame the official for intervening.

“I made the mistake, Sean capitalized, I paid for it.”

Aljamain Sterling on his UFC 292 loss to Sean O’Malley

It was clear, as an outside observer, that O’Malley had the victory secured. And Sterling has no one to blame but himself.

“He stayed disciplined, man,” Sterling said. “I didn’t want the fight to be boring. I could’ve sat on the outside and just kept playing the leg kick game. But then I would’ve had all the criticisms of everybody else.

“See, this is the difference. He stayed disciplined to his game plan and I kinda let — I don’t wanna say emotions — but I kinda let trying to be a little bit more of an exciting style for the fans play a factor. … I made the mistake, Sean capitalized, I paid for it.”

So, what’s next?

Well, Sterling before the fight discussed the possibility of moving up in weight. But first, he’d like to take care of unfinished business, calling for him and O’Malley to run it back for the bantamweight title.

“That is one hundred percent what I would like the most,” Sterling said of a rematch. ” … He could go out there and beat me again and I think it just strengthens his case that he’s as good as he says he is. But I think I’ve earned — I would like to think that I’ve earned — my right to get an immediate rematch.”

A rematch might not be in the cards for O’Malley, who has a rocket firmly strapped to his back as one of the UFC’s biggest superstars. And that certainly preserves questions over whether Sterling’s elite ground game would’ve played a factor had the fight gone to the canvas.

It’s also fair to wonder whether the short turnaround — Sterling last fought in May, whereas O’Malley last fought in October 2022 — played a role in Saturday’s result, though Sterling was unwilling to pin the loss on such.

“I felt good. No excuses, man,” Sterling said. “I truly did feel like it was my night, and I made one mistake, and I paid for it.”