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Sean O'Malley realized his lifelong goal of becoming a world champion on Saturday night when he beat Aljamain Sterling in the UFC 292 main event.
'Sugar' handed Sterling his first defeat since Marlon Moraes knocked out 'Funk Master' at UFC Fight Night 123.
The first round was a highly competitive affair, with both men trying to get a read on their opponent. The second round was a more one-sided contest for as long as it lasted, with Sean O'Malley successfully stuffing a takedown attempt from Aljamain Sterling. He then landed a perfect counter-punch that sent 'Funk Master' crashing to the canvas before landing ground-and-pound strikes which ended the fight.
'Sugar' was informed of the judges' scorecards during his UFC 292 post-fight media appearance. O'Malley did not appear bothered by the fact that the judges all scored the first round in favor of Aljamain Sterling, as he said:
"What did they score the second round?"
Watch the video below from 7:40:
O'Malley's win over Sterling came as a surprise to many, as fans expected 'Funk Master' to assert himself through his superior grappling skillset. But even Sterling admitted during his post-fight octagon interview with Joe Rogan that he had underestimated how good his opponent was.
O'Malley has his sights set on a rematch with Marlon Vera, who also competed on the card again Pedro Munhoz, whom 'Chito' defeated via unanimous decision. Vera is the only man to hold a victory over 'Sugar', although O'Malley has disputed the legitimacy of the victory.
Sean O'Malley believes Aljamain Sterling was overconfident at UFC 292
Sean O'Malley was able to secure the undisputed bantamweight title at the first time of asking with a performance to remember against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 this weekend.
During his media scrum, 'Sugar' stated that he felt Sterling entered the octagon overconfident, which led to him making mistakes during the fight.
Sean O'Malley said:
"I knew it would get him frustrated, him not being able to grab me. I thought he was way too confident that he was gonna be able to come in and just grab me. I don't know if he's ever sparred someone as good as I am." [1:05-1:30]
