Sean O’Malley TKO’d Aljamain Sterling In The Main Event Of UFC 292

Sean O’Malley (17-1) knocked out Aljamain Sterling (23-4) to claim the UFC Bantamweight championship in the main event of UFC 292 from Boston.

For much of the first round, Sterling and O’Malley alternated shots, finding openings and looking for any advantage. Early in the second, Sterling decided to come out quickly, trying to throw shots that looked to get O’Malley off his game.

But all it took was one mistake for O’Malley, who lined up a beautiful shot that sent Sterling on his back as he was moving backward with a swift right hand. The challenger jumped on the champion with a slew of hammer fists and shots on the ground to force the referee stoppage. O’Malley’s win ends Sterling’s run of nine-consecutive wins coming into UFC 292.

Sterling entered the cage Saturday night on a unbeaten run dating back to 2017. After winning the title in 2021 via disqualification, Sterling has silenced doubters of late, winning a decision victory over Petr Yan, knocking out T.J. Dillashaw, and earning a decision over the returning Henry Cejudo.

O’Malley’s run has been equally impressive, suffering just one loss in the UFC that was a result of a freakish drop foot injury in 2020 that resulted in Marlon Vera pouncing for the technical knockout. Since then, he’s rattled off three knockouts and a decision victory over Yan that brought him into title consideration.