Aljamain Sterling has declared himself a tougher out for Alexander Volkanovski – and capable of rendering “a lot more damage” – than even what UFC lightweight king Islam Makhachev delivered during the Australian’s sole Octagon loss this year.

Already being hailed the greatest UFC bantamweight of all time, Sterling will almost certainly look to move up and chase ‘champ champ’ status with a fourth straight title defence against ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in Boston this Sunday.

Speaking with Fox Sports Australia this week, ‘Aljo’ suggested O’Malley had not only “jumped the queue” for this fight, or failed to prove he belonged among the division’s elite, but also boasted a fanbase overflowing with teenage Fortnite players who guzzle energy drinks while “cracked out of their minds”.

UFC 292 | SUN AUG 20: UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will look to cement himself as one of the greatest bantamweights in UFC history as he faces Sean O’Malley. ORDER ON MAIN EVENT ON KAYO SPORTS >

The champ added a win over ‘Sugar’ would almost certainly see him move up to chase a superfight against Australia’s reigning UFC featherweight king.

While Volkanovski was recently put back to the top of the pound-for-pound rankings alongside Jon Jones, Sterling insisted he would bring more problems for ‘The Great’ than even Makhachev did back in February at UFC 284 – when he defeated arguably the greatest fighter on the planet via a contentious decision victory.

Asked about going straight into a Volkanovski showdown following a win this Sunday (AEST), Sterling sounded off on those stars he has already defended UFC gold against, before then suggesting the belt around Volkanovski’s waist was next.

“I have my hitlist,” he said.

“I said I was going to beat Petr Yan in a rematch, beat TJ Dillashaw, beat Henry Cejudo, and beat Sean O’Malley … then I would go up.

“And so far, so good.

“I’ve been able to write my own story, write my own legacy.

“I’ve been able to dictate my own future, which is what I love about fighting.

“You get the chance to put your money where your mouth is.

“Get the chance to show the world who you really are.

“And now this weekend I get another opportunity to show people what real discipline looks like.”

So as for how a title fight between himself and Volkanovski goes?

“That’s a tough one,” the champ conceded.

“Volk is nimble on his feet; a strong, explosive guy who used to walk around at 200 pounds playing rugby.

“He was short and dense, now he fights at featherweight — and I imagine he would keep some of that residual strength with him.

“But I like to think I’m strong for my frame as well.

“A lot of guys tell me that, even guys who are 200-plus pounds that I grapple with.

“So I think it would be very interesting to see how we match up in that strength department.

“See how he does with a guy who moves just as well as him on the feet, is just as quick and fast twitch, and with the same reach as well.

“That’s the intriguing part for me.

“I don’t necessarily know how the fight would go, but I know if he’s getting taken down by some of these other guys, I would imagine that if I get him down and get his back … just from that fight with Makhachev, I’m doing a lot more damage there than he did.

“Maybe Makhachev was tired, or something from his weight cut affected him, I don’t know.

“But from what I saw, I think I would be more accurate, and have more threats with armbars, kimuras, head and arm chokes from back mount …”

But first, Sterling must get past O’Malley, who brings with him plenty of colour, fans, and hype — having gone undefeated in his past five Octagon appearances.

Asked what he expected of a Sugar Sean fight week, the champ laughed: “He’ll have a bunch of teenage Fortnite players tuned in to watch him fight.

“A bunch of guys who drink energy drinks, cracked out of their minds.

“But obviously this is a huge opportunity in terms of the eyeballs Sean O’Malley brings, and I want to capitalise on that.

“It’s also a fight, so anything can happen.

“And trust me, I know what one clean punch, a headkick, even a knee can do.

“It can change everything, so I have to be fully dialled in.

“But at the end of the day, in terms of legacy – he’s just another name and I look forward to derailing the hype train and showing that you don’t get ahead all the time taking short cuts.”

Short cuts?

“I see this is a fight for the blue collar people,” Sterling continued.

“Those who work day in, day out to accomplish their dreams the hard way.

“I think I’m the epitome of that.

“Because I’ve never had any handouts in this sport.

“Coming into the UFC, I’ve never had an easy outing. Since my third fight I’ve been fighting ranked guys.

“And Sean is good, don’t get me wrong.

“But it’s one of those moments like Islam Makhachev challenging Charles Oliveira (for his title in 2022) – where he was jumping into that title shot without actually proving it, without beating ranked guys

“He kind of jumped the queue but went and proved he belonged there.

“And now Sean has the opportunity to do something similar. Show the world, does he belong here or not?

“He had a very close fight with Petr Yan and I think it was a favourable match up in the sense of if there is anyone in the top five that he could’ve beaten, it was a match up like that.

“Against a guy shorter in stature, shorter arms, who was just going to walk forward and doesn’t do a great job of cutting you off.

“For Sean, who has really good footwork, that was the best case scenario.

“So we’ll see what type of gains he’s made over a year where he’s basically had his feet up on the couch while I’ve been out on the battlefield getting tested.

“We’ll see if Sean O’Malley can keep up.”

When it comes to that potential Volkanovski showdown meanwhile, Sterling also suggested he could also be a more dangerous proposition at featherweight than many UFC fans and analysts realise.

“When I cut weight now, I definitely feel affected,” he said.

“Feel the main thing I leave behind is some of my strength and my conditioning

“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found my cardio the later the fight goes — because I’ve got bigger, my bones have got more dense, the weight cut has been more difficult — the Energizer bunny that I used to be is slowly fading away.

“I’m still good enough to push.

“But where before I could go nuts and not worry about my lactic acid turnover, now I have to be really cognisant in the middle of the competition to manage my energy expenditure.

“I used to shake my arms out one or two times and I’d be right back in your face.

“But I just turned 34 so I have to be a little more calculated with my approach now.

“Father Time is undefeated and that’s why I think going up in weight may benefit me in a bigger way than people realise.”