Issue 200
December 2023
From Dana White’s Contender Series to the top of the world, Sean O’Malley’s rise has been one of the UFC’s biggest success stories over the past six and a half years. Simon Head takes a look back at five bouts that took “The Suga Show” to the top of the charts.
Alfred Khashakyan, Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 1, Episode 2, July 18, 2017
The first time O’Malley showcased his skills to the UFC universe was during his appearance on the inaugural season of Dana White’s Contender Series, where he faced fellow knockout artist Alfred Khashakyan.
O’Malley had to mind his P’s and Q’s early as he lunged and missed with a spinning backfist and eventually found himself on the mat with Khashakyan looking to rain down blows from top position. “Suga” Sean took some solid shots, but stayed active off his back and eventually fought his way back to his feet.
Khashakyan continued to pour forward with big strikes, but O’Malley started to find his range, and a big left hand left Khashakyan with a cut over his left eye. That moment seemed to boost O’Malley’s confidence, and a big right hand dropped Khashakyan, who bounced straight back up, so O’Malley met him with a head kick, then a flying knee, as he looked to turn the fight in his favor.
O’Malley emptied the chamber as he unleashed a spinning backfist, then connected with a four-punch combination to put Khashakyan on his heels. A no-look right hand from O’Malley then landed clean as the pair traded big shots in a wild exchange.
Despite Khashakyan’s attempts to blast his way back into the fight, O’Malley was in charge of the action, and a huge straight right flattened Khashakyan and got Dana White up off his chair as the UFC boss exclaimed, “WOW!”
O’Malley hopped onto the fence and told White and UFC matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard with a line that has followed him throughout his career, “Welcome to The Suga Show!”
It was a barnburner of a fight, and a star-making performance. But after delivering the goods to get to the UFC, bigger tests would soon follow for O’Malley.
Eddie Wineland, UFC 250, June 6, 2020
By the time he faced former WEC bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland at UFC 250, O’Malley had won his first three fights in the UFC, with his last fight producing a first-round TKO finish of Jose Alberto Quinonez at UFC 248.
Wineland’s experience was expected to give O’Malley a tricky test, but O’Malley rose to the occasion to produce his fastest finish in the UFC to date.
Wineland quickly tried to shut down the small cage at the UFC Apex as he took the center of the Octagon and connected with stiff right hand that got O’Malley’s attention in the opening 90 seconds of the fight. But the strike seemed to switch O’Malley on, and he clipped Wineland’s chin with a smart left cross.
A body kick and a right hand both landed, followed by a spinning heel kick, but Wineland did well to duck under the latter strike. O’Malley kept the pressure on, and, after a short feint with the left hand, threw a straight right hand that knocked Wineland out cold.
It was a stunning one-shot walk-off KO that reverberated around the sparsely-populated venue as O’Malley registered one of the highlight-reel UFC moments of the pandemic.
Thomas Almeida, UFC 260, March 27, 2021
O’Malley appeared to be on a charge, but a disputed TKO loss to Marlon vera at UFC 252 put “The Suga Show” in need of a winning next episode. O’Malley duly obliged with a bonus-winning finish of Brazilian striker Thomas Almeida at UFC 260.
The fight in Las Vegas showed the ongoing evolution of O’Malley as a fighter as he calmly pieced up Almeida through the first two rounds before finishing him in Round 3 to register the 13th win of his career.
O’Malley started strongly and never let Almeida get a foothold in the bout. A big head kick may not have dropped the Brazilian, but it set out O’Malley’s stall as he quickly established himself as the superior striker. That was underscored when he dropped Almeida with a big left hand, and attempted to claim another walk-off finish. However, Almeida wasn’t done, and the bout continued.
O’Malley continued to dominate his man through Round 2, but the opening for a finish didn’t present itself. O’Malley put that right in the final stanza, though, as he decked Almeida with a left hand, then knocked out his man with a huge shot to claim yet another impressive stoppage win.
The performance earned high praise from UFC president Dana White, who labeled O’Malley’s display “a masterpiece.”
Petr Yan, UFC 280, October 22, 2022
O’Malley followed up his finish of Almeida with a pair of TKO stoppages of Kris Moutinho and Raulian Paiva, but an accidental eye poke against Pedro Munhoz threatened to pump the brakes on “Suga Sean’s” rise.
Thankfully for him, the UFC matchmakers gave him the chance to establish himself as a bonafide title contender with a bout against former bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280.
With O’Malley taking on one of the bantamweight elite, it was a dress rehearsal for a championship fight. And, on the biggest stage of his career, he didn’t fluff his lines.
O’Malley matched Yan in a highly competitive matchup as the pair battled back and forth in a clash that tested their will as much as it did their skill. Eventually, the judges were called into play, and O’Malley took the split decision win.
It was a razor-thin win. But given the caliber of the opponent he’d just edged on the cards, O’Malley’s championship credentials were confirmed.
Aljamain Sterling, UFC 292, August 19, 2023
O’Malley’s win over Yan put him in pole position for a shot at the undisputed UFC bantamweight title, held by Aljamain Sterling.
“The Funkmaster” was well on the way to all-time great bantamweight status, but much of the build-up to the fight was focused on the challenger. Despite Sterling’s big personality, O’Malley’s route to fight night got the lion’s share of attention. The big question heading into fight night was whether O’Malley could take that final step from entertaining contender to bonafide champion. His answer was emphatic.
After a cagey opening round, a zoned-in O’Malley perfectly slid away from a lunging Sterling and punished him with a perfectly-timed right hand that dropped the champion. O’Malley then swarmed Sterling and finished the fight with follow-up ground strikes to capture the 135-pound champion in stunning fashion.
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