Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley experienced a role reversal ahead of their clash Saturday in the main event of UFC 292. The five-round bantamweight title fight headlines the main UFC 292 fight card (10 p.m. ET) from TD Garden in Boston. At the final press conference Thursday, the normally reserved Sterling, who will defend his title for the fourth time Saturday, was outspoken in his assertion that he intends to dominate the main event. Conversely, the usually boisterous O'Malley was subdued by his standards, although the No. 2-rankled contender still didn't hesitate to predict a knockout victory for himself.
Sterling is a -250 favorite (risk $250 to win $100), while O'Malley comes back at +210 in the latest UFC 292: Sterling vs. O'Malley odds. In the co-main event, women's strawweight champion Zhang Weili (-310) defends her belt against Amanda Lemos (+250). Before locking in any UFC 292 picks, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine analyst Daniel Vithlani.
Vithlani is a highly analytical UFC bettor who profited more than $6,200 for $100 bettors in 2022. This includes a documented 24-14 record on his well-respected, two-leg parlays. Every pick was documented on his public Instagram account.
From breaking down film and following fighters and their camps closely, to tracking sharp action and betting market signals, Vithlani covers the breadth of the MMA betting landscape top to bottom. He also trains amateur boxers and speaks regularly with MMA fighters to understand the sport's nuances.
In his SportsLine debut for UFC 283 in January, Vithlani swept the main card and his 5-0 ledger included advising SportsLine members to support Jamahal Hill (-125) against Glover Teixeira (+105) for the vacant light heavyweight title in the main event. Anyone who has followed him has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC 292: Sterling vs. O'Malley coming up, Vithlani has scoured the card from top to bottom and released his top picks and predictions. You can see those picks at SportsLine.
UFC 292: Sterling vs. O'Malley preview
The main event is not only a stylistic contrast between Sterling, one of the sport's most accomplished grapplers and O'Malley, who is known for his precision and powerful striking, but they are both also among the most polarizing fighters on the UFC roster.
Sterling (23-3) is one of the least popular UFC champions in recent memory. He has often been criticized for winning the title against Petr Yan via disqualification in March 2021 and a ground-heavy style that diminishes the potential for action-packed brawls that most fans prefer. His three defenses include split decisions over Yan and Cejudo and a stoppage over an ailing Dillashaw.
Even so, even his harshest critics have conceded that Sterling has compiled one of the best bantamweight resumes in the promotion's history.
Conversely, O'Malley's wild popularity remains a puzzling dynamic. Although easily identifiable from his face tattoos, pink fight kit and rainbow-decorated curls augmented by a carefree persona, he has one of the least-credible resumes of any UFC title challenger in recent memory.
O'Malley (16-1-1) made a name for himself with a flashy knockout win on "Dana White's Contender Series" in July 2017, but his long list of low-level opponents since joining the promotion prompted one popular UFC commentator to dub him a "permanent prospect."
Only one of O'Malley's opponents among his eight UFC victories is still on the promotion's roster. He is 1-1 with one no-contest in three outings against ranked competition and the lone victory came by controversial split decision last October over Yan, the lone remaining active UFC opponent he has faced. The fight was competitive, but most observers believed Yan should have received the nod, and even O'Malley appeared stunned as his hand was raised by the referee.
However, the performance was enough for O'Malley to surge up the rankings and become the next challenger for Sterling, whose stated goal is to win in dominant fashion and at least temporarily quell the hype behind his heavily marketed opponent. You can see who Vithlani is backing at SportsLine.
UFC 292 predictions
We'll share one of Vithlani's UFC 292 predictions here: He is siding with Ian Garry (-455) to get past Neil Magny (+350) in a matchup of ranked welterweight contenders on the main card.
Garry (12-0) is a brash prospect who has run through his first five UFC opponents while finishing three of them. The 25-year-old Irish fighter, who has openly spoken of his desire to follow in the footsteps of countryman Conor McGregor, passed his first test against a ranked opponent with a first-round stoppage of Daniel Rodriguez in May.
Magny (28-10) is a 10-year UFC veteran who is one of the promotion's most accomplished fighters to have never competed for a title. The 36-year-old New Yorker holds the UFC welterweight record for victories with 21 and has won four of his past six. Magny took a split decision over prospect Philip Rowe in June.
"Although Magny has only been knocked out twice in his career, he has gotten dropped in several recent fights. If Garry can stay off the fence and off his back, I think he can hurt Magny on the feet and find the knockout.," Vithlani told SportsLine. You can see more UFC 292 picks at SportsLine.
How to make UFC 292 picks
Vithlani also has strong picks for Sterling vs. O'Malley and other bouts on the UFC 292 card. He's also backing a fighter who "continues to improve in all areas" to emerge with a dominant victory. Those picks are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC 292: Sterling vs. O'Malley, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC 292, all from the MMA expert who profited more than $6,200 in 2022, and find out.
UFC 292 odds, fight card
See full UFC 292 picks, predictions, best bets here.
Aljamain Sterling (-250) vs. Sean O'Malley (+210)
Zhang Weili (-310) vs. Amanda Lemos (+250)
Neil Magny (+350) vs. Ian Garry (-455)
Marlon Vera (-185) vs. Pedro Munhoz (+155)
Chris Weidman (+215) vs. Brad Tavares (-270)
Gregory Rodrigues (-355) vs. Denis Tiuliulin (+280)
Andre Petroski (-245) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (+200)
Natalia Silva (-355) vs. Andrea Lee (+280)
Maryna Moroz (+130) vs. Karine Silva (-155)
Austin Hubbard (-175) vs. Kurt Holobaugh (+145)
