UFC 292 is in the books! An action-packed whirlwind from start to finish, Saturday night’s event delivered as fans had hoped and then some. As such, with the event doing extremely well, the UFC seemingly decided to do something they’ve never done before for Sean O’Malley.
Taking place at the TD Garden in Boston, MA, UFC’s latest PPV event was already on track to do extremely well. However, things hit a new level by the time the main card began, and fans’ excitement reached a new level. Firstly, Ian Garry put on a striking masterclass when he chopped down Neil Magny. Following that, strawweight champ Zhang Weili set a new record after brutally beating down Amanda Lemos.
However, it was Sean O’Malley who blew the roof off the place with his mesmerizing knockout of Aljamain Sterling. In a moment of pure magic and ecstasy, O’Malley was crowned the new bantamweight champion of the world. In a surprising move, the UFC uploaded the entire main event and knockout on their socials shortly after. This is the first time that the promotion has done such a thing in its entire 30-year run.
Naturally, everyone was quick to point out the same and at the same time, tried to understand the UFC’s motive behind doing so. As such, a renowned MMA fan page, MMA History Today, had this to say: “Never before in UFC history has the promotion uploaded an entire PPV main event to their YouTube channel immediately. This tells you all you need to know about what they think about the star potential of Sean O’Malley. They’re strapping a rocket to his back”. Thus, many believe that the UFC is promoting Sean O’Malley as their next big star.
UFC 292 gate, revenue, records, and Sean O’Malley
Safe to say, the Boston faithful ensured the success of the event. On the night, the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, hosted a sold-out crowd of a reported 18,293 people. Additionally, the gate revenue for the event was well over the $7 million mark, making it the highest gate in arena history except for the NBA finals.
After the fight, the UFC head honcho Dana White revealed how big the fight truly was.“This is also the biggest bantamweight championship fight ever on pay-per-view, globally. It broke the record. Biggest bantamweight championship fight ever. I’m sure you saw the crowd at the end”. Here, he also highlighted, “O’Malley isn’t gonna be a star. He is a star.” Having been criticized for giving O’Malley the ‘Dana White privilege’, the UFC boss’ faith in the Sugar Show has paid dividends.
Further, O’Malley also took home an extra $50,000 for his Conor McGregor-esque knockout of Aljamain Sterling. Other bonus winners on the night include Performance of the Night for Zhang Weili and Fight of the Night honors for Brad Katona and Cody Gibson. All things considered, the UFC will be pleased with the outcome of Saturday night.
As for O’Malley, he is keen on running the show up until 2035 and will likely take on Marlon Vera next. Following the fight, Sean revealed that he would willing to run it back with Vera at the T-Mobile Arena in December. At the same time, the 28-year-old has also expressed his interest in a potential boxing match with Gervonta Davis. With that said, the sky is seemingly the limit for O’Malley in whatever he chooses to do next.