Sean O’Malley rose through the ranks despite dealing with a bunch of naysayers.
The former UFC bantamweight champion amassed a 12-0 MMA record before first tasting defeat.
A bizarre foot injury led to him suffering a TKO loss against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 252 in August 2020.
Two months earlier, Sean O’Malley earned that fight by putting a former UFC title challenger to sleep with one shot.
Watch Sean O’Malley’s viral KO win over Eddie Wineland
At the peak of his career, Eddie Wineland fought interim UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao.
The Brazilian won their September 2013 fight with a spinning back kick and strikes in the second round.
Six years later, Wineland was no longer a title contender, but he was still viewed as a legitimate threat to O’Malley’s perfect record.
‘Suga’ silenced his doubters with a ruthless first-round knockout win at UFC 250 in June 2020.
O’Malley initially caught Wineland with a short hook that appeared to wobble him.
A missed spinning attack gave Wineland a moment to recover, but he was unable to do so.
The next big punch O’Malley threw caught him right on the chin and resulted in a scary KO.
What’s next for Sean O’Malley?
Sean O’Malley hasn’t fought since losing his bantamweight title at UFC 306 last September.
Merab Dvalishvili easily outpointed him over five rounds before defending his belt against Umar Nurmagomedov, whom he edged out in the UFC 311 co-main event in January.
Despite the one-sided nature of their first affair, UFC CEO Dana White has booked the rematch.
Dvalishvili vs O’Malley 2 will headline UFC 316, which takes place in Newark, New Jersey, on June 7.
O’Malley has promised to be ’70 percent better’ in the rematch, but only time will tell if he’ll be able to deliver a Wineland-esque performance against one of the greatest 135lb fighters of all time.