“Most manipulative sh*t ever” – UFC documentary backfires for Dana White as footage of Aljamain Sterling getting convinced to fight Sean O’Malley goes viral

Aljamain Sterling‘s bantamweight title reign was halted by Sean O’Malley last year. At the time, no one could take the title away from Sterling. However, O’Malley made it look easy. While ‘Suga’ won the fight fair and square, a few things that went behind the scenes were questionable. Moreover, Sterling has spoken about this for a long time. 

For the longest time, Sterling has revealed having no interest in fighting O’Malley in August but wanted a later date. Sterling wanted to recover completely from an unknown injury at the time. Recently, a clip has gone viral from a UFC documentary named Fight Inc: Inside the UFC. In the clip, UFC CBO Hunter Campbell persuades Aljamain Sterling to take the Sean O’Malley fight.

I just want you and I to be on the same page, which is you don’t have to fight if you don’t have to fight. I’m not forcing you to f**king fight. You have to decide what you want to do. Whatever you decide, I’m cool with it. You are at your f**king peak. It’s just that this opportunity for you to take his audience that he has built-in and introduce you to them. But, instead of using the platform and the increased media coverage, it’s almost like you are working against it.
Hunter Campbell via Fight Inc: Inside the UFC

As seen from the clip, Sterling’s manager kept quiet, and most of the conversation happened between ‘Funk Master’ and Hunter Campbell. After the clip went viral, as expected, Aljamain Sterling also took to X to share his thoughts on the situation. Aljo didn’t take away from O’Malley’s victory; however, they revealed that the fight was indeed ‘handicapped.’

Sterling and O’Malley fought each other at UFC 292, and O’Malley won the fight via a second-round TKO. Since then, O’Malley has gone on to defend his title once. On the other hand, Sterling decided to move up and try his luck in the featherweight division after not receiving a title rematch. However, this latest viral clip has definitely ruffled some feathers.

Fans react to Dana White and Hunter Campbell’s negotiation with Aljamain Sterling to fight Sean O’Malley 

Aljamain Sterling’s rise to the bantamweight champ was not far from controversy. However, the fighter proved worthy by defending his title three times. But after the loss against O’Malley, he didn’t even get an immediate rematch. Now, the viral clip featuring Hunter Campbell persuading a compromised Sterling to take the fight has gone viral.

Sean O’Malley beat Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 (via Imago)

Speculations like this have helped to create a lot of controversy regarding the viral video. Here are some of the reactions from fight fans: