It was a rough night for Aljamain Sterling in Boston, Mass., at UFC 292. Not only did he lose his Bantamweight belt to Sean O’Malley via knockout (watch the finish here), but he endured endless boos and jibes from the pro-”Suga” crowd while it happened.
Literally the first thing we heard on UFC 292’s pay-per-view (PPV) broadcast as Sterling made his walk to the cage was someone screaming, “F— you, Aljo!” It was picked up clear as day, and it set the tone for the disrespect the Boston crowd dealt out to the three-time defending UFC champion.
Indeed, Boos rained down from the crowd as “Funkmaster” was introduced by Bruce Buffer. Then a, “F— you, Aljo” chant kicked off halfway through the first round ... and boy was it loud. This went beyond just being for O’Malley — it felt like everyone in the building hated Sterling’s guts.
Are fans still hung up on Sterling winning his title off a disqualification that Petr Yan rightfully earned? Or, have they bought into Dana White’s narrative that Aljo is a difficult champion who can’t get out of his own way? Some fans point toward the squeakers he’s edged on the scorecards against Yan and Cejudo. But, that doesn’t explain the level of vitriol we just witnessed being directed toward him in “Beantown” last night.
Simply crazy, man.
Let’s take a look at how Twitter reacted to the Aljamain hate party Boston unleashed at UFC 292:
Aljo walks out and the first thing you can hear on TV is, “f*ck you Aljo!” Crazy.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 20, 2023
What the hell man?
— ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ (@TheArtOfWar6) August 20, 2023
pic.twitter.com/pAEtdKCTy6
I'm not sure Aljo has always loved the boos, but I do think he's starting to embrace them
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 20, 2023
Sterling gets booed everywhere, this won't faze him lol #UFC292
— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) August 20, 2023
Aljo died his hair “Celtics” green to try to show some love to the city of Boston and these people were chanting “FUCK YOU ALJO” 2 minutes into his fight, man that’s SICK
— TevTalksMMA (@TevTalksMMA) August 20, 2023
Quite a loud fuck you aljo chant
— Connoisseur of Combat (@ConOfCombat) August 20, 2023
Damn… imagine fighting right next to your home town and they still chant “fuck out Aljo” at you during your fight ♂️ ♂️ ♂️ #ufc292
— Chase Hooper (@chase_hooper) August 20, 2023
FUCK YOU ALJO from the Boston crowd #UFC292 #UFC pic.twitter.com/Ldbsztn5Ld
— AR Slick (@amir7reza7) August 20, 2023
man, shut the fuck up Boston.
— King Typo (@BoxingBusch) August 20, 2023
having an entire crowed chatting “fuck you aljo” and then getting slept infront of them would be an insane experience
— pantoja szn (@rutomma) August 20, 2023
All class from Aljo ❤️@funkmasterMMA #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/KoPplverJa
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) August 20, 2023
Nice speech from Aljo
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 20, 2023
Class act from Sterling #ufc292
— Anatomy of a Fighter (@WillHarrisAOAF) August 20, 2023
The crowd wanted to cheer Aljo’s positive message but their hatred for him would not allow it.
— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) August 20, 2023
What are y’all still boo-ing for??? Lol ya boy already won, relax #ufc292
— Kay Hansen (@KayHansenMMA) August 20, 2023
Fuck Boston dont boo Aljo what the fuck? Fuck y’all. Aljo is the 135 GOAT, have some respect man. Fuck Boston.
— Fonzo (@FonzoMMA) August 20, 2023
This Boston crowd is trash. How do you boo Aljo, as he’s on the mic handling the defeat with all class.
— AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) August 20, 2023
Just an FYI, you can love and root for a specific fighter, while not disrespecting their opponent. pic.twitter.com/tiDXdalq74
For complete UFC 292: ‘Sterling vs. O’Malley’ results and play-by-play, click HERE!
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