The ‘Suga’ Show has officially arrived as we have a new UFC Bantamweight Champion. Sean O’Malley defeated Aljamain Sterling by TKO in the second round of the fight, which was the main event of UFC 292 in Boston, Massachusetts. While O’Malley was considered an underdog going into the bout, he had predicted the knockout well before the fight.
In a podcast with Bradley Martin, Sean O’Malley and his coach Tim Welsh were talking about how Aljamain Sterling will be the biggest threat for Sean O’Malley to date. However, the fighter and his coach believed that this tough fight and all the work and training done for it would be worth it if a classic Sean O’Malley KO happens. Martin then posted the video on his X account, saying that O’Malley had exactly predicted what would conspire in his fight.
With the prediction 🫡
We cut this out of the pod we filmed 6 days before the fight. So happy for you @SugaSeanMMA pic.twitter.com/nAUCW0a2y2
— Bradley Martyn (@BradleyMartyn) August 20, 2023
‘Suga‘ further revealed that he was experiencing a muscle strain in his ribs that stopped him from grappling for some time. O’Malley expressed that if it was an ordinary three-round bout or a co-main event, he would have pulled out of the fight. However, with this one against the Funkmaster being a title fight, there was no chance that Sean O’Malley was calling it off.
So, good for O’Malley that he did not back off from the fight as he continues his dominance in the bantamweight division of the UFC.
What happened in Sean O’Malley vs Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292?
It would not be wrong to say that going into the fight, Aljamian Sterling walked in as a clear favorite because he had defended the bantamweight titles three times and seemed ready to pull off another due to his superior wrestling skills and ground game. But who needs wrestling when you have some elite knockout power like Sean O’Malley?
It was only the second round of the main event of UFC 292 when Sean O’Malley dropped the champion on the floor by a big right hand and sealed the deal with some seriously strong hammer-fists to be the new bantamweight champion. In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, ‘Suga‘ called out his old rival Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.
O’Malley had previously also mentioned that he would like to make his first title defense against Vera as he has a few things to settle with him. Sean O’Malley has lost only once in his MMA career, and that defeat came in 2020 against Marlon Vera. So, it is obvious that the new champion would like to redeem himself and settle the feud. Who do you think will be O’Malley’s next opponent? Let us know in the comments!
