20 August 2023 , 05:09
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Sean O'Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling inside two rounds to become the UFC bantamweight title in front of a packed out TD Garden crowd in Boston last night.
The Arizona native brought his Irish-American audience out in force for his first effort at gold under the UFC banner, with over 19,000 in attendance to watch on. Sterling had defeated legendary two-weight world champion Henry Cejudo just 105 days prior, but was game to get back quickly in another East Coast defence of his world title.
Celebrities including Irish Mickey Ward, Bob Menery and the Nelk Boys were among the capacity crowd at the Boston arena, which hadn't hosted an event for the promotion since before the coronavirus pandemic. It was a hometown show for promotional boss Dana White, and they didn't disappoint with a tremendous card from start to finish.
Buoyed on by a raucous crowd who made their disdain for Sterling clear throughout the night, O'Malley was put on the back foot early by pressure on the feet from the renowned grappler. He appeared reluctant to engage early as the threat of the takedown loomed, but at times showed his superior striking with a few flush left hands.
With seconds to go in round one, O'Malley was able to stuff the takedown against the cage, taking himself into the second round of his first world title effort. And with just moments gone in round number two, the Arizona native picked up the gold by landing a flush right hand before finishing with strikes.
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O'Malley called for a rematch against Chito Vera in his first title defence as he said after the fight: "Going into this fight, I said it only takes one mistake against me, I don’t know if that was a mistake or I'm just that f****ng good! This Is just beginning of the Suga era, I am running this s*** until 2035, I'll whip Chito's a** in December at the T-Mobile Arena."
Sterling praised O'Malley for his win by saying: "Sean is a lot better than I thought, I knew the feints and his strikes would be dialled in. He did a good job of being elusive so congrats to him and his team. I’ve lost before and picked myself up before, do not be surprised if you see me back in here fighting for a belt."
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The co-main event saw dominant women's strawweight champion Weili Zhang continue her second reign atop the division with a win over Amanda Lemos. Despite a few hail Mary submissions, Zhang never looked troubled and completely controlled proceedings on the way to a fifth round knockout victory.
Prior to that, the stars of the show were Marlon 'Chito' Vera with a decision victory over Pedro Munhoz and Irishman Ian Garry, who obliterated the legs of Neil Magny to earn one of the most lopsided decision wins in recent memory. The crowd were in full voice for the cocky Irishman, who is eager to earn a hometown show in his native Dublin.
There were also two winners crowned as The Ultimate Fighter season finally came to a close, with Brad Katona taking home an unprecedented second tournament championship for Team McGregor at bantamweight. That was followed by a victory for Kurt Holobaugh at lightweight against Austin Hubbard in a fight where both men represented Team Chandler.