Sean O’Malley has emerged as one of the most popular fighters in the UFC after entering the promotion following an impressive performance in the first season of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017. His first fight in the UFC was against Andre Soukhamthath, which he won by unanimous decision.
Sugar Sean was then out of action for two years after an injury, followed by a USADA ban for using a prohibited substance. However, the bantamweight fighter made a strong comeback in March 2020, when he got the better of Jose Quionez in the first round by TKO. Another first-round TKO win followed for O’Malley when he was up against Eddie Wineland.
Sean O’Malley had become a star of the division with these consecutive TKOs, and fans were sure of him being the next big thing in the UFC. However, then came an experienced Marlon Vera to hand O’Malley the first defeat of his career, which is to date the only loss he has faced inside the Octagon.
O’Malley was originally supposed to face ‘Chito’ in 2019, but that couldn’t materialize due to his ban. However, when they did eventually lock horns in the following year, O’Malley’s unbeaten record in MMA got tarnished.
Sean O’Malley is set to challenge UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling for the title, and as he hopes to be the champion, O’Malley has expressed that he would like to make his first title defense against Marlon Vera to make things equal.
How did Marlon Vera beat Sean O’Malley?
The fight started with some fine kicks by O’Malley and at the same time, Marlon Vera looked composed and waited for the right moment. Chito then responded with a leg kick, which did not seem very dangerous at that point but damaged O’Malley’s nerve and led to him losing his mobility. Vera was smart enough to recognize this and then execute the attack.
He hit some really strong elbows on Sugar’s face, and the referee, Herb Dean, took no time to stop the fight and declare Marlon Vera the winner, which was almost inevitable after his opponent’s injury mid-fight. Chito is also supposed to fight at UFC 292 his opponent will be Pedro Munhoz. Coincidentally enough, Munhoz’s fight with O’Malley also ended unexpectedly, and this time around it was declared a no-contest.
What happened to Pedro Munhoz against Sean O’Malley?
Pedro Munhoz clashed with Sean O’Malley in the co-main event of UFC 276. The first round of the fight witnessed calculated strikes from both fighters. However, the bout ended prematurely after an eye poke that left Munhoz unable to see. The referee declared it a no-contest as the foul from O’Malley was unintentional.
However, O’Malley was unaware of this as he started to celebrate as if he had won, but he was soon made aware of the disappointing news.
Recently, Pedro Munhoz has expressed his desire to fight O’Malley and finish their unsettled business. Which one of the two fights would you like to watch? Let us know in the comments.
