"I don't have any remembrance" - Sean O'Malley talks giving over to a 'higher self' in TKO victory over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292
Sean O'Malley dethroned Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in Boston, Massachusetts to become the new UFC bantamweight champion. 'Suga' put on a master class in distance management, constantly moving and evading Sterling's advances through the first round.
This frustrated Sterling, who dove in rather recklessly shortly into the second round. Sean O'Malley timed the takedown and landed a flush right hand, knocking Sterling down. O'Malley followed up with strikes, prompting the referee to call a halt to the contest.
Since then, he has taken to Twitter to comment on the fight. He posted a video alongside the caption:
"Reacting to my finish at UFC 292"
In the post-fight celebrations in the locker room, O'Malley was asked what he felt when Sterling grabbed ahold of him in the first round. He replied:
"I can allow my higher self to take over, and I don't have any remembrance of being in the fight. It just happened. It just was, just in the moment. Yeah, I wasn't trying to think."
Check out the clip here:
O'Malley certainly looked to be in a flow state inside the octagon, and put on a nearly perfect performance to become the new king at 135 lbs.
Sean O'Malley beats Sterling, calls for a rematch against Marlon 'Chito' Vera
Despite having just become the champion, it looks like Sean O'Malley is already looking ahead to his next fight. In his post-fight octagon interview, he called out Marlon 'Chito' Vera, who holds a win against O'Malley.
O'Malley's singular loss is to 'Chito' and it looks like he plans on avenging that loss. Speaking to Joe Rogan, he said:
"This is just the beginning of the 'Suga' era. I'm running this shit till 2035 baby. Did Chito win? Was it boring? Probably. I'll whoo Chito's a** in December in T-mobile. Let's go baby!"
Check out the interview here:
Earlier in the night, Marlon 'Chito' Vera put on a dominant performance against Pedro Munhoz, and took home the unanimous decision win. There is certainly some bad blood between Vera and O'Malley and given their past, the fight makes perfect sense.
There are, arguably, a few more deserving contenders, but it's likely that O'Malley, being the superstar he is, will get his way and face 'Chito' next.