O’Malley Claims The Bantamweight Title With A Second-Round KO Of Sterling
At UFC 292 Sean O’Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling in the second round, as he won the bantamweight title on his first attempt at doing so.
The two MMA fighters had a close first round, as they sought to establish their dominance without giving too much away.
O’Malley was staying out of danger in an attempt to control the distance, while Sterling responded with some leg kicks that found some partial success.
In response, O’Malley used his feints in an attempt to find an opening. At the end of the round, Sterling’s attempt at a takedown was dealt with in an even round.
The second round, however, saw O’Malley come the fore. Sterling’s decision to come forward backfired, as O’Malley landed a strong right-hand counter.
Omalley’s KO
The champion hit the floor, as O’Malley followed up, with the referee stopping the fight. O’Malley, as a result, made history with his first title as Sterling must go back to the drawing board.
Omalley’s Comments
“Honestly this was the most nervous I’ve ever been for a fight. In my eyes, Aljamain Sterling is the best bantamweight of all time. I was a little bit nervous but I never lost the confidence because I know what I possess in this f****** right hand.
“I said going into this fight, it only takes one mistake against me. I don’t even know if that was a mistake — I’m just that f****** good,” O’Malley
Sterling’s Comments
“Sean is a lot better than I thought. He did really good job of being elusive and staying on the outside of the cage. I can’t say nothing bad about the guy. Congrats to him and his team. This was nothing but respect at the end of the day.
“I’ve lost before, I’ve been knocked out before. I picked myself up and I became a UFC champion. Do not be surprised if you comeback and you see me in here again and this time getting the belt.
“Definitely got to go back and reassess some things because if he caught me like that, I could only imagine what [Alexander] Volkanovski would do,” Sterling
Sterling-O’malley Full Card
Sean O’Malley beat Aljamain Sterling via a second-round TKO
Zhang Weili beat Amanda Lemos via a unanimous decision (50-43, 50-44 & 49-45)
Ian Machado Garry beat Neil Magny via a unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26 & 30-24)
Mario Bautista beat Da’mon Blackshear via a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27)
Marlon Vera beat Pedro Munhoz via a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28)
Brad Tavares beat Chris Weidman via a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27)
Gregory Rodrigues beat Denis Tiuliulin via a first-round KO (elbows)
Kurt Holobaugh beat Austin Hubbard via a second-round submission
Brad Katona beat Cody Gibson via a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 30-27)
Andre Petroski beat Gerald Meerschaert via a split decision (29-28, 29-28 & 28-29)
Natalia Silva beat Andrea Lee via a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27)
Karine Silva beat Maryna Moroz via a first-round submission
