Sean O’Malley’s UFC bantamweight title charge was started at UFC 248 when he dominated Jose Alberto Quinonez and scored a huge head kick KO on the prelims.
Following his viral appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series where he earned a UFC contract after an emphatic KO over Alfred Khashakyan, Sean O’Malley was being highlighted as a future UFC champion.
Iconic rapper, Snoop Dogg, was a big driver for ‘Suga’s’ success because of his iconic commentary with Urijah Faber during the DWCS appearance.
Sean O’Malley KO’s 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 on several occasions, resulting in a two-year suspension from the sport.
Since then, O’Malley has attempted to clear his name by shedding some light on studies that show that Ostarine can be transferred through sweat.
At UFC 248 in 2020, O’Malley returned to the Octagon and took on Jose Alberto Quinonez on the prelims of the event which was headlined by a middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero.
Ahead of their fight, O’Malley admitted that he was hoping to add to his already incredible highlight reel and officially put his name on the map on a big event.
He did just that within the first two minutes, coming out fast out of the blocks, showcasing his diverse striking skillset.
Within the first 10 seconds, ‘Suga’ dropped Quinonez with a front kick to the body and looked utterly untouchable throughout with his tremendous striking defense.
O’Malley landed a big uppercut with just two minutes left of the fight which momentarily dropped the Mexican. After Quinonez returned to his feet, O’Malley landed a crushing head kick and subsequent ground-and-pound which resulted in the finish, which earned him Performance of the Night.
What’s next for Sean O’Malley?
That performance kickstarted O’Malley’s ascent to superstardom, and of course, in 2023 he finally picked up the UFC bantamweight title after an incredible win against Aljamain Sterling.
This past September, though, ‘Suga’ lost the 135lb 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 loss, O’Malley has consistently called for a rematch against Dvalishvili but he will likely need to pick up another win before he is 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 going through a career resurgence after a few disappointing losses.