Sean O'Malley's UFC bantamweight title reign began at UFC 248 when he dominated Jose Alberto Quinonez and scored a huge head kick KO during the preliminaries.
Following his viral performance on Dana White's Contender Series, where he earned a UFC contract following an emphatic KO over Alfred Khashakyan, Sean O'Malley was highlighted as a future UFC champion.
Iconic rapper Snoop Dogg was a big driving force behind the success of 'Suga' due to his iconic commentary with Urijah Faber during the DWCS performance.
Photo by Brandon Magnus/DWTNCS
Sean O'Malley KOs Jose Alberto Quinonez at UFC 248
Unfortunately, O'Malley's career was halted after a win at UFC 222 as he tested positive for Ostarine several times, resulting in a two-year ban from the sport.
Since then, O'Malley has tried to clear his name by shedding some light on studies showing that Ostarine can be transmitted through sweat.
At UFC 248 in 2020, O'Malley returned to the Octagon and took on Jose Alberto Quinonez in the preliminaries of the event, which was headlined by a middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero.
Ahead of their fight, O'Malley admitted he was hoping to add to his already incredible high and officially put his name on the map at a major event.
He did just that within the first two minutes, coming out of the blocks quickly and showcasing his various striking skills.
Within the first 10 seconds, 'Suga' dropped Quinonez with a front kick to the body and looked completely untouchable throughout with his great striking defense.
O'Malley landed a big uppercut with just two minutes left in the fight, temporarily dropping the Mexican. After Quinonez got back to his feet, O'Malley landed a crushing head kick and subsequent ground-and-pound that resulted in the finish, earning him Performance of the Night.
What's next for Sean O'Malley?
That performance kick-started O'Malley's rise to superstardom, and of course, he finally captured the UFC bantamweight title in 2023 after an incredible victory against Aljamain Sterling.
However, last September, 'Suga' lost the 135-pound title when he was dominated by Merab Dvalishvili at the UFC's historic UFC 306 event at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Following his disappointing defeat, O'Malley has consistently called for a rematch against Dvalishvili, but he will likely need one more win before he can be considered for another title shot.
'Suga' has highlighted this summer as a potential return date and fans have called for a rematch against Petr Yan, who is seemingly enjoying a career resurgence after a pair of disappointing losses.
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