Sean O’Malley calls himself a “superstar,” to borrow from Lupe Fiasco’s strike song.
Fear nothing; the Suga show is here, gilded after the phenomenal striker finally takes the long-claimed throne. A perfectly timed counter paved the way for Aljamain Sterling to fall from the bantamweight crown in the UFC 292 main event early Sunday morning.
And if O’Malley does it his way, his show has 12 seasons slated.
O’Malley later said within the Octagon, “This is just the beginning of the Suga era.” “I will do this until 2035, baby.”
Apparently every wrestling fan in Boston supported O’Malley, a Montana native who leaned into his Irish-American identity in a way befitting Beantown. Even her uncharacteristic decision to counter new champion’s pink-dominant rainbow hair with dark green dye couldn’t prevent a loud chant of “Fuck Arjo” from TD Garden. .
What were the first words to the public after the gold award was handed over? A cry of “What’s wrong, Boston?”
Clearly, he has at least one major market for the show.
The coldness of the Suga show venue was just “cold”. The challenger spent most of the round feinting and moving, eliciting a bombastic reaction from Sterling, but was not very successful in attacking effectively. It’s not like the champion did much better, but all three judges probably favored the kick he threw and a bit of aggression in the clinch at the end of the first round.
The pace picked up in the second frame, but it didn’t have much of an impact…at least until your social media post completely obscured the bottom right corner of your TV screen and the action exploded.
Sterling lunged hard with a wide-swinging straight right, exposed to O’Malley’s quick and vicious right counter, which landed the champion in the face with just 30 seconds on target. Suga swarmed with a calculated standing hammer fist and Arjo circled with all his might to get in his way.
That wasn’t enough for the Long Islander, who has made three consecutive title defenses at £135 in 2022 and 2023. O’Malley continued to attack, alternating between hammer and sniper until referee Mark Goddard stopped the bout.
“I was a little nervous about this match,” O’Malley said. fucking right hand, baby. “
Content Warning: The Suga Show contains strong language. and violence. Definitely violence.
A crushing knockout is nothing new for O’Malley. The fight will be remembered as a TKO, but it’s just as memorable as when he put down Eddie Wineland against a former bantamweight upperclass member in his first Test three years ago. Or when she slammed Thomas Almeida, who was once a rising star but didn’t have as bright a future as O’Malley with her colorful hair and personality.
“I said going into this fight that I could only make one mistake,” said the confident new champion. “I don’t even know if it was a mistake [Sterling made]; I’m a really good person. ”
O’Malley’s profit is Sterling’s loss, as Arjo’s show was abruptly canceled shortly before its planned renewal. The Uniondale, N.Y. native pulled off a massive 135-pound weight loss and announced his desire to move up the weight division and challenge Alexander Volkanowski for the featherweight championship after a predictable victory in Boston. was speaking loudly.
that’s all.
“I definitely have to go back and reassess some things because I can only imagine what Volkanowski would do if he got me like that,” Sterling said inside the cage. Told. There he was polite to his opponents and graceful when he lost. “I really need soul searching.”
The loss has no bearing on Sterling’s place in the all-time bantamweight hierarchy. After all, a good show doesn’t have to lose its luster just because it’s over. O’Malley reiterated his belief that the opponent he lost was “the greatest bantamweight of all time.”
As with Sterling’s matchup with teammate Merab Dvalishvili, a rematch could be on the card, as Sterling later expressed hope in speaking to reporters. Corey Sandhagen, a savvy striker considered to create an attractive style clash, remains an option.
But the first thing O’Malley had on his mind about the next episode was the one man who gave him the win. Marlon “Chito” Vera scored a TKO victory two months after Wineland’s win, and had already won the match just hours before Saturday.
The newly gilded showman rhetorically asked if Vera’s win over Pedro Muñoz was boring, and answered himself that it probably was, before suggesting what a rematch later in the year might look like.
“I’ll spank Chito on the butt in December.” [Las] Las Vegas on T-Mobile [Arena]. Let’s go, baby! ”
Don’t touch that dial. The sugar show has become very interesting.
