"I remember eating that left hand" - Sean O'Malley looks back at "the hardest he's ever been hit" in a fight

Sean O'Malley recently reflected on some of his past UFC fights and revealed who was the hardest hitter he has fought so far in his career.

During his appearance on The Breakfast Club, host Charlamagne tha God asked the reigning UFC bantamweight champion who hit him the hardest to where he felt he needed time to regroup. It didn't take him very long to respond as he named former bantamweight champion Petr Yan and complimented him on his striking ability:

"The hardest I've been hit, I thought Petr Yan, this little Russian number-one ranked dude, I fought him in Abu Dhabi last October..I don't really have many vivid memories of being in the octagon cause I feel like I'm so present that I'm not even thinking...I remember eating that left hand and that was the hardest I had been hit." [7:57 - 8:21]

Sean O'Malley fought Petr Yan at UFC 280, earning a split-decision win and a post-fight bonus for Fight of the Night. It was a significant win as it earned him a bantamweight title shot, which he capitalized on by making a spectacular first-round knockout over Aljamain Sterling to become the new champion.

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When is Sean O'Malley's next fight?

Sean O'Malley has been riding high since becoming bantamweight champion this past August and recently found out who he will be competing against in his first title defense.

'Sugar' is scheduled to fight Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC 299, which takes place in March. The bout is a rematch of their 2020 encounter, which saw 'Chito' earn a first-round TKO win to hand the Contender Series alum his first career loss.

Since they last met inside the octagon, the reigning bantamweight champion has become a massive star for the promotion. It will be interesting to see whether 'Sugar' can avenge his loss or if 'Chito' will prove that he has the champion's number.