A bantamweight title fight between current champion Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo has been widely reported as being in the works according to both fighters themselves, but another leading contender Sean O’Malley is now wondering aloud why the match-up still hasn’t been made official yet.
“Why is this not happening? What is it,” O’Malley said on the TimboSugarShow. “I don’t think it’s a money thing. I don’t. The UFC would say, alright, next guy. It’s not a money thing, in my opinion.
“The UFC said, here’s what you’re going to make. Henry literally retired because he wasn’t getting paid enough, and now he’s broke and wants to come back. He’s coming back to make the same amount.
“Aljo’s not going to get paid more, he’s not a draw. That’s just facts. That’s not being me throwing shots. Aljo would say the same thing. He’s like, yeah, I’m not a draw. I don’t have fans. He knows. Everybody knows.
“Is it a weight thing? Is it an injury lingering? What is it? I’ve got to get to the bottom of this.”
O’Malley had previously voiced his interest in having a rematch with Marlon Vera next, claiming that its a bigger fight than a title shot, but it seems he’s now questioning whether that’s the right move, or if he should just wait to see how things play out between Sterling and Cejudo.
“I’m kind of in that position to where I’m like, ‘Do I be smart like I’ve done my entire career and just wait for those two dorks to fight, or do I risk it and go fight someone else?’ Which wouldn’t be the intelligent thing to do, but it’s like you only get so many years to fight, and I don’t really like sitting around too much.
“But I’m leaning towards waiting for Aljo and Henry to fight and just wait for that.”
