Sean O’Malley is the A-side in this Matchup Against Aljamain Sterling According to his Coach

Sean O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, believes that the UFC wants the bantamweight contender to beat Aljamain Sterling in their upcoming title fight.

Tim Welch feels the UFC “for sure” wants Sean O’Malley as champion 🏆 #TheMMAHour

“A bantamweight, a tall skinny kid with tattoos and curly hair, one-punching people and walking off. The UFC knows what they’re doing.”

▶️ https://t.co/LMrEA5vUKp pic.twitter.com/nKeSxnA1BU

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) May 24, 2023

Welch made his comments in an interview with MMA Fighting. He said that the UFC has been “pushing” O’Malley for a while and that he believes they are trying to build him up as the next big star in the UFC.

“I think the UFC wants Sean to win,” Welch said. “They’ve been pushing him for a while. They want him to be the next big star.”

O’Malley is 16-1 in his professional career, and he is coming off a split-decision win over Petr Yan at UFC 280. Sterling is 23-3 in his professional career, and he is the current UFC bantamweight champion after defending his title for a third time against Henry Cejudo.

The fight between O’Malley and Sterling is scheduled to take place at UFC 292 on August 19th, 2023, at TD Garden Arena in Boston, Massachusetts.

Welch’s comments are certainly interesting, and they raise the question of whether the UFC is trying to stack the deck in O’Malley’s favor. However, it is important to remember that the UFC is a business, and they are always looking to make money.

O’Malley is a marketable fighter with a large fan following. He has also won 16 out of his last 18 fights with 10 of those 16 wins coming by way of knockout. Sterling, on the other hand, is a controversial figure. He won the bantamweight title by disqualification, and he has been criticized for his lack of charisma.