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Fan-favorite KO artist Sean O'Malley will fight Kris Moutinho at UFC 264 on July 10th, 2021.
O'Malley was initially set to face Louis Smolka in a bantamweight bout at UFC 264. However, Smolka had to withdraw from the fight due to a staph infection, and the UFC immediately began looking for a replacement to keep 'Sugar' on the blockbuster UFC 264 fight card.
Several notable UFC fighters offered to fight O'Malley. And 'Sugar,' on his part, called out Ricky Simon, a fellow top-tier UFC bantamweight. Regardless, none of the UFC mainstays made the cut.
On his Twitch stream, O'Malley finally made the revelation about his UFC 264 opponent, Kris Moutinho.
Veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani subsequently revealed that Ricky Simon had indeed been considered as a replacement opponent for Sean O'Malley at UFC 264. But Simon apparently couldn't make the bantamweight limit on such short notice (less than two weeks). Ergo, the UFC booked O'Malley to face Moutinho.
#3 Kris Moutinho is a UFC debutant and “an aggressive striker with a solid wrestling base”
ESPN MMA’s Marc Raimondi reported that according to Kris Moutinho’s manager Tyson Chartier, Moutinho is “an aggressive striker with a solid wrestling base.”
While Moutinho has consistently displayed his aggressive striking and good wrestling base throughout his professional MMA career, he’s now set to test his skills in the world’s premier MMA organization – the UFC. Whether the UFC newcomer’s skills are up to the mark inside the UFC’s famed octagon remains to be seen.
#2 Kris Moutinho is known for his high-risk entertaining style of fighting
The technical aspect of Kris Moutinho’s MMA skill-set – as significant as it sounds – doesn’t tell the complete story. While his manager had words of high praise for his aggressive striking and solid wrestling base, Moutinho’s fighting style is downright entertaining.
Now 28, the fighter out of Massachusetts started his MMA career back in 2013. He began as an amateur MMA fighter, amassing valuable experience in bouts from 2013 to 2016. Moutinho then made his professional MMA debut in 2016 and has earned a respectable record of nine wins and four losses thus far.
The point we’d like to draw your attention to over here is his four losses. All have come by way of stoppage, two via KO/TKO and two via submission. This wasn’t exactly due to a lack of skill on Kris Moutinho’s part but rather from his fan-friendly high-risk fighting style.
Kris Moutinho’s past performances suggest that he’d have no qualms about taking risks and bringing the fight to Sean O’Malley at UFC 264.
The courageous 28-year-old is unafraid to mix it up on the feet, even to his own detriment. While this may be counterintuitive against a brilliant counter-striker like O’Malley, it’ll surely make for an entertaining clash come UFC 264.
#1 Kris Moutinho is not one to be broken by his losses
Be it his two-fight losing streak (both losses coming via submission) in 2017 or his second two-fight losing streak (both via KO/TKO) in 2019; Kris Moutinho overcame them all. He may not have competed at the highest level of the sport yet, but he's already proven to possess the heart of a true warrior.
Kris Moutinho has solidified that a loss, or even multiple losses for that matter, won't break him. Furthermore, he has shown that he can return to winning ways even after suffering disheartening back-to-back losses—currently, Moutinho on a two-fight win streak.
The 28-year-old's current streak began in the Classic Entertainment & Sports MMA organization, wherein he's spent the majority of his professional MMA career. Moutinho beat Ashiek Ajim via second-round TKO at CES MMA 61: Gotti III vs. Alley (October 2020).
This was followed by the second fight in Kris Moutinho's current win streak, which also happens to be his most recent fight. Moutinho defeated Andrew Salas via third-round submission at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 96 (May 2021).
Do you see Kris Moutinho beating Sean O'Malley at UFC 264? Sound off in the comments.
