UFC hailed the dawn of a new era on Saturday night as they crowned a new bantamweight champion and future boxing crossover star in Sean O’Malley.
‘Suga,’ a former Contender Series breakout who hits like a mule and has a flashy exterior, battered previous ruler Aljamain Sterling.
New UFC mega-star Sean O’Malley
This would always be O’Malley’s superstar moment to those in the know. His turn to take over the sport and tread where the likes of the outspoken Conor McGregor had before him.
For others, they saw a shock victory over Sterling sent shockwaves through the combat domain. It was simply O’Malley’s crowning night.
The Helena, Montana striker has the look, the persona, and the power to keep fans on the edge of their seats for the foreseeable future.
After a previous run at flyweight, O’Malley is now king at 135. He has the potential to be a two-weight champion with a move up to featherweight [145 pounds].
But for now, he will enjoy his moment after stopping Sterling with a barrage of blows in the second round at UFC 292.
THE FULL @SUGASEANMMA KNOCKOUT!
A right hand that will live on in UFC history at #UFC292! pic.twitter.com/jM5MkPTxqK
— UFC (@ufc) August 20, 2023
What’s next for O’Malley?
What happens now is potential defenses of the title against Merab Dvalishvili, Henry Cejudo, Cory Sandhagen, or Petr Yan. After that, a second weight opportunity should see O’Malley receive offers from the boxing world for crossover bouts.
In addition, with the power he possesses and picked against the right opponent, it wouldn’t be hard to sell a boxing match featuring O’Malley firmly down the river.
Conor Benn would probably be the first in line with his promoter Eddie Hearn. However, super lightweights or smaller welterweights would depend more on how O’Malley fills out.
Josh Taylor, Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, and Vasyl Lomachenko have the names to carry a massive event once their careers wind down, potentially in Saudi Arabia.
O’Malley still has some way to go in the weight department despite being 28. Pitching him against Terence Crawford, a fully-fledged 147-pounder, wouldn’t be wise.
But given a couple of years to acclimatize to 145 and should he enhance his current superstar status to mega-star, O’Malley is a sure-fight hit for boxing fans.
The man has dynamite in his fists and charisma in spades. It’s a matter of time before everyone in the combat world knows his name.
After his pulverizing showing at the TD Garden in Boston, O’Malley can now drink it all in. Furthermore, the sky is the limit for a brash, confident young fighter with crossover appeal in spades.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer.
