UFC 292: Sterling vs. O’Malley odds and betting tips
This weekend in the TD Garden in Boston, Aljamain Sterling puts his UFC Bantamweight title on the line against the ever-confident Sean O’Malley.
O’Malley is a fighter that is never far from the headlines, and viewers will be eagerly waiting to see if he can put his money where his mouth is and get his hands on his first bit of gold in the UFC. The fight takes place on Saturday night but will be broadcast at 4 AM in the morning in the UK. It is available to watch on ESPN+ PPV in the US. Let’s take a look to see how the bookies think this blockbuster encounter will play out.
📝 Current odds for the Sterling vs. O’Malley fight
Aljamain Sterling is currently the favourite to retain his title when he steps into the Octagon with Sean O’Malley this weekend.
- Aljamain Sterling to win at 2/5 with bet365
- Sean O'Malley to win at 2/1 with bet365
UFC 292 fight card
- Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley – Sterling’s UFC bantamweight title
- Weili Zhang vs. Amanda Lemos – Zhang’s UFC women’s strawweight title
- Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Mario Bautista
- Marlon Vera vs. Pedro Munhoz
- Chris Weidman vs. Brad Tavares
- Gregory Rodrigues vs. Dennis Tiuliulin
- Austin Hubbard vs. Kurt Holobaugh – The Ultimate Fighter 31 lightweight tournament final
- Andre Petroski vs. Gerald Meerschaert
- Andrea Lee vs. Natalia Silva
- Karine Silva vs. Maryna Moroz
Sean O’Malley’s current form and recent fights
Sean O’Malley will arrive in Boston following the biggest win of his UFC career last October. O’Malley picked up a split decision over former champion Petr Yan to earn himself a shot with Sterling, this came after a no-contest bout with Pedro Munhoz after O’Malley accidentally poked his opponent in the eye.
O’Malley has only lost one fight in his professional career, a TKO defeat to Marlon Vera in August 2020. He is one of the UFC’s most exciting and unpredictable performers and Saturday night will give him his first shot at gold in the company.
Aljamain Sterling’s current form and recent fights
Aljamain Sterling is a man on a roll. Sterling is currently ranked sixth in the pound-for-pound UFC rankings and is the reigning Bantamweight Champion. In his last match, he defeated Henry Cejudo, breaking the record for the most consecutive Bantamweight title defences. Sterling has not lost a match since 2017, defeating the likes of Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo and T.J. Dillashaw in his recent outings. His overall record is 23-3.
🥊 Sterling vs O’Malley betting tips and odds
The fight between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley could be one of the year’s best showdowns. Bookies and analysts favour the champ to keep his title, but the odds are narrow. The following are three of our picks for some of the best bets you can place on UFC 292’s main event.
Aljamain Sterling via submission - 2/1 (Sky Bet)
This weekend’s encounter will see a clash of two styles, with Sterling putting his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills to the test against O’Malley’s aggressive striking approach. Their career victories tell the story, with O’Malley winning over 70% of his matches with TKOs/KOs and Sterling winning nearly a third of his fights via submission. O’Malley is younger and more powerful than the champ, so Sterling will want to get him on the ground quickly. We back him to manage that and to land a submission victory at 2/1 with Sky Bet.
Fight to go the distance: No - 4/9 (Paddy Power)
Given the styles of both Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley, this fight does not feel like it is one that will go to a decision. O’Malley will look to knock his opponent out, while Sterling will know he needs to get his opponent on the floor to end him. Paddy Power are offering 4/9 on the fight not lasting the full five rounds.
Sean O’Malley via TKO/KO/DQ - 16/5 (William Hill)
While we are backing Aljamain Sterling to grab the win on Saturday night, if you want to back O’Malley, we recommend doing so in the TKO/KO method of victory market. As mentioned, O’Malley has an excellent knockout record, winning 11 of his 18 matches by TKO/KO. He does have some advantages over his opponent, notably his reach and height. O’Malley will be aware that he needs to keep Sterling on his feet, and if he can do that, he might be able to land a successful blow. You can back him at 16/5 with Wiliam Hill.
📋 How to place a bet on Sean O'Malley vs Sterling fight
- Log in or sign-up with your chosen UFC sportsbook.
- If you are new to a sportsbook, use one of the links we have provided to claim your welcome bonus.
- Find the UFC/MMA section. It might be listed under both names or just one of them.
- Once there, go to the UFC 292 card. This could also be titled Aljamin Sterling vs Sean O’Malley, depending on the bookmaker.
- Find the Sterling vs O’Malley fight, click on it, and scroll through the markets available.
- Once you have selected your bet, add it to your betting slip and .
- Double check you have entered everything correctly and click confirm.
Sean O’Malley fun fact
It is fair to say that Sean O’Malley is quite the unpredictable fighter, so it should come as no surprise that he has regularly referenced the boxer Roy Jones as one of his inspirations. Jones is widely seen as one of the greatest boxers that has ever lived, and like O’Malley, he has never shied away from controversy. Jones holds the record for the longest boxing career in history, with the former champion and Olympic medalist famed for his unorthodox and exciting boxing style.
💰 What is the prize money for the Aljamain Sterling vs Sean O'Malley fight?
The official fight purse for Aljamain Sterling vs Sean O’Malley has not been released, but we can take a look at previous earnings to give us an idea of what is being paid out this weekend. O’Malley is thought to have taken home around $370,000 - $400,000 for his fight against Petr Yen at UFC 280, while Sterling earned somewhere between $750,000 - $1mil for his victory over Henry Cejudo at UFC 288.
💥 Who has more KOs in their career, Sterling or O’Malley?
Sean O'Malley has established himself as a knockout artist in the UFC. The 29-year-old has won 11 of his 18 professional fights by knockout, with his last knockout win coming against Raulian Paiva in December 2021.
🤼♂️ Which fighter has more wins by submission, Sterling or O’Malley?
By contrast, Sterling has a lot more wins by submission than O’Malley. Sterling has won 8 of his 26 fights by submission, while O’Malley has won by submission once, defeating Omar Avelar with a rear-naked choke all the way back in 2015.
Does O’Malley have more professional matches than Sterling?
No. Sterling is the more experienced of the two fighters. Sterling has fought 26 times, while O’Malley has only fought 18. It is worth noting that Sterling is five years older than O’Malley.
🏆 Who has won more titles, O’Malley or Sterling?
Despite being great at building hype around himself, Sean O’Malley has yet to win himself a title in the UFC. His match with Sterling will be his first chance to compete for a belt in the company. Sterling has only won one belt during his time in UFC, and that is the Bantamweight title he will be defending this weekend.
Who is more likely to get KO’d, O’Malley or Sterling?
Both fighters have only been knocked out once in their career, which means a KO would be a bit of a surprise on the night. O’Malley has a better KO rate than Sterling, but Sterling is a more experienced fighter and is favoured by the bookies. If we were to push it, we would back O’Malley to suffer his second KO loss this weekend.
Are there any undercard fights that you should pay attention to?
As always, the UFC has a packed card for fans in Boston this weekend. The show's co-main event will see Zhang Weili defending the UFC strawweight title against Amanda Lemos. Zhang is favoured to keep hold of her belt in what promises to be an exciting battle. Sky Bet has her priced at 1/3, with Lemos out at 5/2.
Another fight fans will have their eyes on is Ian Machado Garry vs Neil Magny. Garry is currently unbeaten since making his professional debut and has fought in the UFC five times, winning all of his bouts. He is heavily tipped as a future star, dubbing himself ‘The Future’. Magny will present him with his toughest task to date, but the bookies fancy him to overcome it. You can find Garry at 2/9 with William Hill with Magny at 16/5.
Elsewhere on the card, we will get the Ultimate Fighter 31 showdown with Kurt Holobaugh vs Austin Hubbard, Natalia Silva taking on Andrea Lea, and an exciting encounter between Andre Petroski and Gerald Meerschaert.
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