Tim Welch doesn’t see Aljamain Sterling standing with Sean O’Malley for too long.
O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) on Aug. 19 in the main event of UFC 292, which takes place at TD Garden in Boston and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
O’Malley’s coach is no stranger to prepping his star student against wrestle-heavy game plans. He sees Sterling’s unique style playing in their favor.
“Everyone’s game plan against Sean has been pin him against the cage and try to take him down,” Welch told Submission Radio. “And you see very good guys trying to stalk him, and it’s way harder than they think. But I think Aljo is such a good athlete. He’s so funky that he’s going to take risks, and he’s going to try to grab Sean. He’s going to take a big risk.
“And that’s also going to be able to open up the knockout for us. Sean can knock people out with every one of his limbs, so if he lunges in at the wrong time, he could get some knuckles bounced off his chin, and it could be the end of the night.”
Welch doesn’t expect Sterling to spend too much time on the feet with O’Malley and if he does, he expects O’Malley’s power to make him resort to grappling right away.
“I think especially once he feels something buzz by his face or crack him a little bit, he’s going to be diving at Sean’s legs,” Welch said. “I think he’s going to sprint right at him, try to cut him off, and then put him against the fence and take him down. But I mean, he’s so funky. He’s so funky. You some of his takedowns against the fence – they’re such good entries. There’s not even a spot to crack him.
“When he pins people on the fence and he’s punching, and you know he’s probably going to shoot in a second, he’s so good at punching and getting into entry, there’s not even room for him to get KO’d. So I definitely think that’s his plan, especially when we’re in the open. He’s probably going to stand about three, four feet away, throw some stupid stuff and try to get Sean to overcommit, and then drop down into a double leg. For sure, the longer it’s on the feet, the higher the chances that Sean’s going to KO him.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
