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“Sugar” Sean O’Malley was someone that everyone had their eye on from the moment he stepped onto the scene during Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2017. His first-round knockout over Alfred Khashakyan is one that still makes the highlight reels today.
At UFC 292: Sterling vs O’Malley, he delivered one of his best performances to date, beating Aljamain Sterling by TKO in the second round at TD Garden in Boston. Take a look at the bantamweight champion's career highlights and how he made his rise to the top.
Talk about a highlight reel for the ages. This knockout is always brought up when O’Malley is discussed. It would be his first Performance of the Night bonus as he knocked out Eddie Wineland less than two minutes into round one.
Wineland fired off some of his own punches before O’Malley shot back, landing a right hand that sent Wineland to the canvas with no follow-up shots needed. This was a Knockout of the Year candidate from the moment it happened.
O’Malley returned to the Octagon in style after two years away, earning a first-round knockout over Jose Quiñónez, and his second performance bonus in a row. Within the first ten seconds of the fight, O’Malley threw a front kick that put Quiñónez in danger on the canvas. About halfway through the round, O’Malley threw a right head kick, followed by an uppercut as Quiñónez tried to go for the takedown. A couple ground strikes was all it took for the referee to call the fight and O’Malley to earn his third UFC win.
This would be the one that would propel O’Malley to the top of the rankings, setting him up to face the champion. Many fans viewed this a controversial victory for O’Malley, who beat Yan by split decision.
O’Malley hurt Yan in the first round and cut him with a big knee in the third, which forced both of them to dig deep throughout the entire fight to remain engaged. It was a memorable fight, not only because of the decision, but also because of what was shown from both fighters.
UFC 292 (08/19/23) O’Malley stopped Aljamain Sterling via strikes at 0:52 of the second round to claim the UFC bantamweight title
UFC 280 (10/22/22) O’Malley won a three round split decision over Petr Yan
UFC 276 (7/2/22) O’Malley’s bout with Pedro Munhoz was declared a no contest at 1:51 of the second round when Munhoz was unable to continue after an accidental eye poke
UFC 269 (12/11/21) O’Malley stopped Raulian Paiva via strikes at 4:42 of the first round
UFC 264 (7/10/21) O’Malley stopped Kris Moutinho via strikes at 4:33 of the third round
UFC 260 (3/27/21) O’Malley knocked out Thomas Almeida at 3:52 of the third round
UFC 252 (8/15/20) O’Malley was stopped by Marlon Vera via strikes at 4:40 of the first round
UFC 250 (6/6/20) O’Malley knocked out Eddie Wineland at 1:54 of the first round
UFC 248 (3/7/20) O’Malley stopped Jose Quinonez via strikes at 2:02 of the first round
UFC 222 (3/3/18) O’Malley won a three round unanimous decision over Andre Soukhamthath
TUF 26 Finale (12/1/17) O’Malley won a three round unanimous decision over Terrion Ware
Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 1
Week 2 (7/18/17) O’Malley knocked out Alfred Khashakyan at 4:14 of the first round
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UFC 292: Sterling vs O'Malley took place live from TD Garden in Boston on August 19, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!