10 Best Performances Of Sean O’Malley’s UFC Career, According To Stats

Highlights

• O’Malley ranks second in UFC history for knockouts in Bantamweight division.
• O’Malley faced adversity but overcame it to secure wins in challenging matches.
• O’Malley’s striking ability was showcased through impressive performances and dominant victories.

Sean O’Malley is arguably the most talented striker in the UFC right now and is in the prime of his career. Currently, the 29-year-old, also known as Sugar Sean, is the current Bantamweight champion of the world.

Throughout his MMA career, O’Malley has dealt with plenty of high moments with very few lows. In 135-pound history, which first debuted in the UFC in 2010, he already ranks second all-time in knockouts. But 10 performances have stood out on the stat line to build his impressive resume.

10 O’Malley Doesn’t Take Much Damage Against Andre Soukhamthath

The Montana Native Gets Unanimous Decision Nod

Sugar Sean didn’t take much damage in this fight – but it was far from his cleanest performance. While he cruised through the first two rounds, O’Malley got into some trouble in the third. Soukhamthath logged over three minutes in control time and out-landed him 16-12 in significant strikes. But still, the total strikes for the fight were lopsided in O’Malley’s favor to give him the unanimous decision win.

9 O’Malley Edges Out Petr Yan In War

Fans Get Their Money’s Worth

Some may argue that the Petr Yan fight was one of his most impressive victories given his success at Bantamweight. However, this one isn’t ranked higher because of the controversy. It wasn’t O’Malley’s cleanest match, where he danced around the Octagon and had his way with Yan. The bout was an absolute war and the fans got their money’s worth. O’Malley had more significant strikes in rounds one and three, but Yan had the significant control advantage in all three rounds – which is why many thought the Russian won. However, it was a close fight that could have gone either way, and it was an important one for O’Malley to prove he was a championship-level fighter, and he did that.

8 Raulian Paiva Was No Match for Sugar

O’Malley Doesn’t Let Fight Leave First Round

It did not take long for O’Malley to prove that Raulian Paiva was no match for him at UFC 269 and that he needed to start fighting ranked opponents. Sugar Sean was patient early but kept touching Paiva and eventually caught him with a knockdown. Once that happened, O’Malley didn’t stop hitting him and the referee was forced to save Paiva with just 18 seconds left in the first round. Sugar Sean landed 39 of 62 significant strikes for a percentage of 62 percent.

7 Eddie Wineland Meets O’Malley’s Right Hand

It’s All Over Under Two Minutes

This fight is an example of how effortless O’Malley is – and that’s a good thing. The first minute was a little slow until O’Malley figured out Eddie Wineland and started landing combinations. The UFC veteran got caught with a right hand that knocked him out cold and Sugar Sean knew it was over as soon as it landed and casually walked away. The fight lasted only one minute and 54 seconds.

6 The UFC Debut Against Terrion Ware

O’Malley Takes Over Round Three

In what was O’Malley’s UFC debut, he was looking to finish Terrion Ware in The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale. The first two rounds were close, and it was 1-1 going into the third round. But Sugar Sean took over the final five minutes and proved that he could take opponents down. In the third round, O’Malley out-landed Ware 51 to 19, with 27 seconds of control time to secure the unanimous decision victory. Although there was no finish, the Montana native had 141 significant strikes compared to Ware’s 88 in the full match.

5 O’Malley Overcomes Adversity From Thomas Almeida

Third Round Domination

It looked like O’Malley was going to get another first-round knockout after landing a vicious leg kick to Thomas Almeida’s head. However, the ref let the fight play on after the knockdown and Almeida wound up surviving the first five minutes when O’Malley thought it was over. Interestingly, Almeida came back in the second round and arguably won it. Sugar Sean was faced with adversity but was able to overcome it, dominate the third round, and win by knockout. O’Malley in this bout had 86 significant strikes compared with Almeida’s 25.

4 Jose Quinonez Could Not Land On O’Malley

O’Malley Completes the Perfect Fight

According to the stats, this was a perfect fight for O’Malley. It only took 18 significant strikes to earn another first-round knockout and Jose Quinonez did not even touch him. To make it more impressive, this was O’Malley’s first fight in two years after getting multiple suspensions by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive for a banned substance.

3 Sugar Sean Doesn’t Let up Against Kris Moutinho

An Astonishing 230 Significant Strikes Landed

After the fight against Kris Moutinho, you knew O’Malley had a chance to be special. To Moutinho’s credit, he accepted this fight on 11-day notice. If it wasn’t for the 31-year-old’s chin, the bout would have been chalked up as another first-round knockout to O’Malley’s resume. But Sugar Sean did not let up and forced the referee with seconds left in the fight to not allow it to go to the judge’s scorecards. There wouldn’t be much controversy, as O’Malley landed an astonishing 230 significant strikes compared with Moutinho’s 70.

2 O’Malley Gets Title Shot Against Aljamain Sterling

Another Victim to the Right Hand

After beating former champion Yan, O’Malley earned a title shot against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. The first round was close and featured low activity from both fighters. But O’Malley did what he did best – even against a jiu-jitsu artist. Sterling became another victim to Sugar Sean’s right hand and was finished on the ground with hammer fists. O’Malley became the new 135-pound king after hitting Sterling with 17 significant strikes in the second round, just 51 seconds in.

1 Marlon Vera Gets Painful Rematch for Title

O’Malley Delivers 230 Blows

O’Malley, for a long time, had a rematch circled in with Marlon (Chito) Vera after suffering his first and only loss at UFC 252. And what better way to do it than in your first title defense? And O’Malley certainly did not disappoint. The fight wasn’t much different than the Moutinho fight – but it was five rounds instead of three. Vera got it to the scorecards but had to absorb 230 blows and somehow did not get knocked down. This was a masterpiece displayed by O’Malley in a championship fight.