This summer’s most anticipated upcoming UFC fight is this bantamweight title bout between a dominant champion Aljamain Sterling and the rising superstar, Sean O’Malley. These two will settle their differences in the octagon in front of a record-breaking TD Garden crowd in Boston on Saturday night.
Read more for a closer look at this interesting matchup, along with the official Aljamain Sterling vs Sean O’Malley prediction, before making your bets this weekend. This should be one of the better upcoming UFC fights.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley Information
Aljamain Sterling vs Sean O’Malley
Location of the fight: TD Garden, Boston, MA.
Date and Time: Saturday, August 19. 10:00 PM ET main card start.
How to Watch: ESPN+ PPV
Last Fight Record
Sterling is fresh off a title defense unanimous decision win over the great Henry Cejudo in May.
O’Malley last fought in October, where he defeated Petr Yan in a very close split decision.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley Betting Analysis
Aljamain Sterling
Sterling is coming into his fifth title fight with a professional MMA record of 23-3, with three TKO/KO wins and eight submissions at the age of 34. He is listed as 5’7″ with a reach of 71″, which is only a little shorter than his opponent. Sterling will be switching stances, but his dominant way of striking is out of the orthodox stance.
“Funk Master” has had a dominant UFC career up to this point, averaging 4.78 significant strikes landed per minute while only absorbing 2.37. Where he does most of his work is his wrestling, averaging 2.02 takedowns per 15 minutes, and is first all-time in bantamweight control time with over an hour of control in the octagon.
Sean O’Malley
O’Malley is a fresh 28-year-old freestyle fighter with a professional MMA record of 16-1, including 11 KOs and one submission. His long 5’11” frame and 72″ reach causes all sorts of problems for fellow bantamweights as he switches stances constantly and controls range.
“Sugar” is currently rewriting the bantamweight striking record book by averaging a whopping 7.43 significant strikes landed per minute while only absorbing 3.54. He lands those strikes at an unheard-of 62% clip. His modest 60% takedown defense will be pushed to the limits on Saturday night.
Updates
No injuries have been reported to the UFC.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley Betting Preview
The Aljamain Sterling vs Sean O’Malley prediction is a lot more difficult to make than what the betting lines might portray. According to UFC odds, Sterling is coming in as the big -260 betting favorite over the +220 line O’Malley has.
This title bout is favored at -250 to end inside the distance, and that comes from the dynamic ability of both fighters. It’s a close fight, but either man can truly look dominant on Saturday night. Sterling is also +110 to win inside the distance, and O’Malley is +220 to do the same. By those numbers, it seems like oddsmakers believe the only path to victory for O’Malley is by a KO.
Scramble Strategy
On the technical side of this matchup, both men play a game of chess in the octagon. Breaking down their styles and abilities could literally take all day, but to keep it simple: they are two of the best in the business.
Sterling is an expert back-taker and will push the pace trying to back his opponent up to the fence. When his opponent has their back up against the fence, Sterling throws funky techniques to get to a takedown. He uses these wrestling scrambles to force his opponents to give him his back while they are trying to get up.
O’Malley will look to start fast and control the center of the octagon. The key to this fight will be who owns more real estate in that cage. O’Malley has to be careful using kicks to the legs or body because Sterling looks to catch those. O’Malley needs to be laser-focused on moving his feet and sniping Sterling from a long range.
Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley Betting Prediction
Making UFC picks on a fight that can go in two completely different directions is probably the most difficult thing to do in sports betting. These two are the best at what they do, and they are both very unique.
- The official Aljamain Sterling vs Sean O’Malley prediction is that O’Malley continues his storyline of becoming the biggest star in the sport.
He will be able to keep Sterling away from his back and will land the more devastating strikes on the feet.
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