UFC 280 was a night to remember for various competing athletes throughout the night. Occurring this past Saturday, October 22, 2022, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sean “Sugar” O’Malley proved his value in the UFC by obtaining a clean victory over his opponent, Petr Yan.
The highly anticipated fight went the full length of three five-minute rounds that led to O’Malley’s win being determined by the judge’s decision. Even with Yan seeming to have the upper hand throughout most of the match, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt appeared to turn things around after cutting open his competitor with a brutal right hand towards the commencement of the third round. O’Malley now withholds a new and improved 16-1-0 professional record for his continuing career in the UFC.
“It’s inevitable,” O’Malley stated during his post-fight interview. “I turn 28 (Sunday), and I’m going to be in this sport for a long time. People want me to be the champ, so it’s going to happen sooner or later… ‘Kick his legs,’ was the first one and now it’s ‘You can’t just kick his legs and take him down’ — Petr kicked my legs and took me down, and still (I) won.”
The 28-year-old fighter went on to vocalize his physical and mental state during his Fight of the Night match: “I don’t want to get hit ever,” O’Malley publicized. “It’s not healthy. It’s not good to get punched in the head. It’s not good for you to have headaches. Ideally, I go in there and not get hit, but I think it makes it even sweeter, the story — I really had to show my heart.”