Henry Cejudo on Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley: “If Aljo can’t take him down, he’s in trouble”

Henry Cejudo has weighed in on a clash between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley.

Cejudo challenged Aljamain Sterling for UFC Bantamweight Championship this past Saturday night (May 6). “Triple C” was hoping to reclaim the 135-pound title, as he was never defeated for the gold during his first run. This one was a back-and-forth affair that lasted the full 25 minutes. The 48-47 score total by Michael Bell, which favored Cejudo, was overruled by the 48-47 scores from judges Derek Clearly and Eric Colon in favor of Sterling.

After Sterling was awarded the split decision win, O’Malley entered the Octagon and the two had an intense staredown with words exchanged. Things got quite testy when Sterling’s teammate, Merab Dvalishvili, took O’Malley’s jacket and wore it.

Henry Cejudo talks Sterling vs. O’Malley

During the UFC 288 post-fight press conference, Henry Cejudo gave his assessment of a potential bantamweight title clash between Sterling and O’Malley.

“If Aljo can’t take him down, he’s in trouble ’cause Sean does have good striking,” Cejudo said. “Sean does go to the body very well. He does have those kicks up the middle, but being in there with Aljamain too, I think he’s a gamer. So, it all depends. I think, obviously, having a close fight with Aljo I gotta go with him. I think O’Malley hasn’t fought, now, the competition that Aljo has fought, and now I could kind of shake his hand, I could be like, ‘Hey, salute.'”

As far as Cejudo’s fighting future is concerned, that remains up in the air. During the post-fight presser, one reporter suggested that a showdown with Dvalishvili could make sense for “Triple C.” Cejudo admitted that he thought it would make for a good storyline, but he plans to speak with his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, before making a decision on his fighting career.

We’ll keep you posted with the latest on Cejudo’s fighting future.