Behind the scenes footage shows Hunter Campbell trying to convince Aljamain Sterling not to withdraw from his fight against Sean O’Malley.
Dana White was not happy with Aljamain’s hesitation to fight.#UFC
#Mixed Martial Arts
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— Championship Round (@ChampRDS)
June 8, 2024
Leading up to UFC 292, the relationship between UFC and Aljamain Sterling was a bit strained.
When Dana White first announced the title fight between Sterling and Sean O’Malley at UFC 292, his coach Ray Longo said Sterling had not yet agreed to the bout, and recently released behind-the-scenes footage from “Fight Inc: Inside the UFC” shows White venting his frustration at Sterling for putting the bout in jeopardy.
“So we decided to have an Aljo vs. O’Malley match. But… [Sterling] “Whenever Arjo goes out in public, he says the wrong things,” White said. “When I announce a fight, the first thing he says is, ‘If my body can hold up.’ So fans think, ‘I better buy my ticket to Boston and my plane ticket and get a room because this guy might not show up.’ It’s either he plays or he doesn’t.”
The video then cuts to UFC executive Hunter Campbell negotiating with Sterling to make the fight happen.
“I hope you and I are on the same page. [if] “If you don’t want to fight Arjo, you don’t have to,” Campbell told Sterling. “I’m not forcing you to fight, so you have to decide what you want to do, and whatever you decide, I’m fine with that.”
Mr Sterling expressed frustration to Mr Campbell that Mr White had publicly criticised him despite being a company employee.
“So from my standpoint, this guy can’t get out of his own way. He’s screwing things up,” Sterling said, “and I just can’t understand the mindset of doing that to someone who’s done everything they’ve been asked to do.”
Campbell tried to sell the match as a golden opportunity for Sterling to make inroads with O’Malley’s existing fan base.
“I can tell you’re at the peak of your career. You’re incredible. And this is a great opportunity for him to take the fanbase he’s built and introduce you to them,” Campbell said. “But instead of taking advantage of that platform and the increased media coverage, it’s almost like you’re working against it.”
The title fight between Sterling and O’Malley was announced shortly after his split decision win over Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 in May 2023. Sterling explained that his main frustration was that he wasn’t discussed with UFC before the announcement.
“Literally, I had just fought and Dana asked me to fight right there and then,” Sterling said. “I knew it was a big opportunity. My first thought, like I said, was just, ‘Oh man, I wish we could have had a conversation.’
Sterling was knocked out by O’Malley in the second round at UFC 292. Going into the fight, Sterling believed UFC did not want him to win and claimed after the fight that White would have been happy to lose, but White argues that athletes can be “paranoid” and forget that it is not the organization that decides the outcome of a fight.
Sterling then made his comeback with a commanding unanimous decision victory over Calvin Kattar in his featherweight debut at UFC 300.
