He took away Ian’s title as the best striker in the UFC. Why O’Malley hits so well
Sergey Sorokin September 13, 2024, 15:30 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Sean would have been an ideal boxer, but he chose mixed martial arts.
On the night of September 14-15 in Las Vegas, in the mega-modern Sphere Arena, the UFC 306 tournament will be held. The main event of the evening will be the title fight in the bantamweight category: the current champion of the division and one of the top stars of the promotion, Sean O’Malley, will defend his belt in the fight with Merab Dvalishvili. Sugar is an incredible fighter who has gone through an incredible journey. He started out being ridiculed for his appearance, physique and fighting style. Sean O’Malley’s biography also raised questions. He had several serious stains at once. But the American himself constantly turned all this to his advantage.
There are only a few days left until the big show promised by Dana White:
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UFC 306: O’Malley will score a spectacular knockout, Shevchenko will regain the championship title. LIVE
One of Sean’s weakest points in terms of vulnerability to trash talk was his personal life. His unconventional family values with his wife, which barely met social standards, became a reason for ridicule. But O’Malley continued to talk about all this without much shame, literally exposing himself to “blows.” And he himself responded with the most powerful blows in the octagon. And he always surprised me with his stand-up skills. In the division, the main striker has always been considered Peter Yan, who has a serious boxing school. However, Sean quickly proved to everyone that it was he who was taking this “crown” from the Russian.
Shawn’s punch really looks incredible. And this is with a thin physique and non-standard anthropometry. With a height of 180 cm, he competes in the bantamweight category. Therefore, it is not always clear where he has so much power in his hands. But O’Malley constantly came out and proved that he could send almost anyone to the court. Sugar has a professional record of 18-1. And he achieved 12 of his victories by knockout. Sean is famous for his ability to literally “pour” punches. O’Malley throws an incredible number of attacks even in fights where he does not finish his opponents.
Sean O’Malley as Marlon Vera
Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images
For example, the fight in which he managed to defeat Marlon Vera seems indicative. On the one hand, the opponent really survived until the end. In the end, everything ended in a judge’s decision. On the other hand, Sean’s work was a delight for any fan of striking techniques in mixed martial arts. O’Malley worked with inspiration and simply destroyed his opponent. He delivered 230 (!) accentuated blows during the fight, which seems like a fantastic figure. Even more surprising is the fact that 150 attacks were aimed specifically at the head. With such a quality of striking work, it is of great respect that Marlon was able to hold out until the end of the fifth round.
O’Malley is already in UFC history. He became the only fighter whose accuracy exceeded 70%, despite the fact that the number of his punches per fight was 200 or more. Therefore, even the mentor of his future opponent points out the danger of Sugar. Ray Longo knows very well that Dvalishvili will have to endure: “To win, Merab will have to withstand several punches. O’Malley is a sniper. It’s stupid to go into the cage and think that Sean won’t catch you. But I don’t think O’Malley has ever faced anyone who could put pressure on like Merab does.”
Sean O’Malley
Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Sean demonstrated his superior stand-up skills against… Aljamain Sterling. Then Merab’s best friend collapsed to the canvas in the second round. That’s because O’Malley has incredible timing. He senses very well when it’s necessary to go on the counterattack, where it’s better to wait and not rush. So now Sugar will try to play to his strengths. He won’t open up, but will wait for a furious throw from Dvalishvili that will allow him to catch him and knock him out. It’s hard to expect Sean to get too close because of Merab’s pressure.
With such height, O’Malley also has unique coordination. And the fight with the same Yan proved it. Peter tried by all means to put the American on the canvas. But the American came out of the net again and again. Of course, the level of Dvalishvili’s work on the ground is even higher. But it seems that now Sean is ready for him too.
