The Suga Show

Sean O'Malley in action.

Sean O’Malley had it all until you don’t. Before Saturday night, the kid with rainbow hair was ridiculed for his first professional loss at the hands of Marlon Vera. Pundits believed him to be all hype. A fighter who struggles under duress. A mere flash in the pan. However, O’Malley disagreed vehemently and stressed that he was still undefeated in his mind. “The way I lost that last fight, it wasn’t because he was a better fighter, [or] he was more skilled. How many leg kicks have been thrown from when that happened until now, and how many times has that happened where you got drop foot?” Luckily for O’Malley, he was given the chance to remind everybody that he has eyes squarely on the belt, and did he ever deliver.

The matchup and the records between the two men. Courtesy, MMAJUNKIE

Saturday night, O’Malley was matched up against Thomas Almeida. A polished fighter out of Brazil in a current slump, but still a dangerous opponent nonetheless. When the curtain raised, “the Suga Show” began and it did not disappoint. O’Malley produced a flawless display of timing, creativity, and versatility that left his opponent bewildered in the fire of combat. Not exactly a revelation considering how masterful his prior performances were, but it’s like good pizza, it never fails to impress. 

Sean O'Malley landing beautifully on Almeida during the fight. Courtesy, mmafighting.com

The fight could have been ended in the first round. O’Malley rocked Almeida with a vicious head kick, followed by a huge knockdown thanks to a lethal left hand. Referee Mark Smith did not give O’Malley the walk off knockout he craved, and Almeida was able to recover. Almeida even landed a shot of his own that reminded the surging fighter that he was not going to be easy to get rid of. It was something that drew the ire of many former fighters. The bout persisted and O’Malley continued to push for the finish, but Almeida was resilient. That is until the third round when the punishment truly began to compound like interest.

O’Malley invited a desperate Almeida into a perfectly timed and placed left hand. The strike dropped the Brazilian who attempted to present some sort of defence on the ground. But, he was compromised and O’Malley knew it. Learning the consequences of playing with his food in the first place, O’Malley proceeded to end the bout with a devastating right hand that dropped the jaws of fans all over the world. The surreal performance earned him a nice bonus from the promotion, and some of the sparkle back to his name. 

O'Malley landing the final blow to seal the deal. Courtesy, UFC

What’s next for Sean O’Malley is a ranked opponent. At 26 years of age, O’Malley is yet to reach his best years, but en route he has already established himself as one of the most feared strikers in the bantamweight division. The Montana native is confident in his abilities and if he is ever to reach his championship aspirations, now would be a great time to push. It is clear that he is on the cusp of the top 15 in the division, and his popularity will surely afford him opportunities to jump the line so to speak. Not that his ability in the octagon hasn’t already. That is why on Saturday night, there was a ranked fighter that called out O’Malley. Funny enough, that fighter was Dominick Cruz. Widely acclaimed as the best 135 pounder of all time, Cruz has come back from career threatening injuries on a mission to recapture his former belt. That matchup is intriguing stylistically, and is easily going to be the most difficult challenge that O’Malley has ever encountered in his career. Whether he is successful or not, the fight will be essential for O’Malley and his growth in the sport.

A look at the former champion, Dominick Cruz and the young contender, Sean O'Malley. Courtesy, UFC