Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The Suga Show has officially taken over the bantamweight division. Sean O’Malley took the UFC bantamweight championship from Aljamain Sterling with a second-round TKO win over The Funkmaster in the main event of UFC 292.
After a slow first round in which neither fighter really took the lead in the fight, O’Malley dropped the now-former champion with a picture-perfect counter right hand to become the new champ.
UFC @ufc
There’s no better view of THAT @SugaSeanMMA knockout 😮💨 #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/s9TmUEMjgt
UFC Europe @UFCEurope
SEAN O’MALLEY HAS DONE IT! THE SUGA SHOW IS APPOINTMENT VIEWING! 🤯
🌈🏆 @SugaSeanMMA IS CHAMPION OF THE WORLD! #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/hRiKoGg13X
After the bout, O’Malley admitted to being a little pensive because of the respect that he had for Sterling. That could have explained the relatively slow first round as O’Malley waited for the perfect opportunity to throw the right counter.
John Pollock @iamjohnpollock
O’Malley: “In my eyes, Aljamain Sterling is the best bantamweight of all time” and says this is the most nervous he has ever been for a fight
Sterling came in a little too recklessly and O’Malley made him pay for it. The flush right hand put him on the ground and the new champ just needed a few ground strikes to get the ref to wave off the bout.
ESPN MMA @espnmma
THAT RIGHT HAND 🥶 #UFC292 pic.twitter.com/vMyqwWkHw6
The win caps a wild ride to the top for the 28-year-old. The guy who started off as a highlight-reel striker with a memorable look has become a legitimate champion-level fighter.
A TKO loss to Marlon “Chito” Vera was the lone bump in the road. The loss broke the undefeated 12-0 start to his career but it also forced him to adapt and improve to become the kind of fighter who could beat Petr Yan and Sterling in back-to-back fights.
Now, that O’Malley is champion he has his sights set on getting back the one fight that didn’t go his way. Ahead of the Sterling fight, he let fans know he would like Vera to be his first title defense.
“I’m in the fight business. I’ve been saying that. I’ve never been afraid to say that. This is a business to me. Who makes more money — me versus Merab or me versus ‘Chito?’ It’s very simple to me,” he said, per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting.
He might have a hard time talking the UFC into giving him Vera over Dvalishvili. The latter is the No. 1 ranked fighter in the division and on a nine-fight win streak.
Either way, the bantamweight division now has a new series of interesting fights in the title picture.
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