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LAS VEGAS — In what change into once expected to be a moment of fact in Sean O’Malley’s doable ascension from shimmering prospect to bantamweight title contender ended with more questions than answers.
An accidental look prance alongside with his outstretched left hand in Spherical 2 compromised the vision of Pedro Munhoz, calling a stay to the bout at 3: 09 after recommendation from the cageside doctor within the opening bout of the UFC 276 pay-per-peep card at T-Cell Enviornment.
The abrupt originate followed a largely inconsequential eight minutes of action on this 135-pound pairing as Munhoz (19-7, 2 NC), going by disadvantages of 5 inches in both top and attain against O’Malley (15-1, 1 NC), largely circled from the skin. The Brazilian’s offense consisted nearly exclusively of calf kicks, a quantity of which the 27-Twelve months-used O’Malley change into once in a location to check.
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A rising star with a monumental following exterior the Octagon, O’Malley change into once by no strategy in a location to safe into an offensive groove given the dearth of action and high quantity of poise and persistence shown by both. The consequence change into once a largely anticlimactic affair for a matchup which featured a lot of rigidity between the two for the length of fight week press events.
O’Malley hoped to develop serious acclaim in his first step-up fight since struggling his lone professional defeat to Marlon Vera in 2020. The native of Montana, who fights out of Phoenix, Arizona, stopped all three of his opponents without extend after Vera but admitted he change into once finest spirited to face a top-10 ranked opponent if UFC paid him commensurate to his perceived rate.
Munhoz, 35, proved unable to snap a 5-fight stretch whereby he change into once true 1-4, even supposing every defeat got right here against a latest or used UFC champion.