UFC 292: Sean O’Malley praised by Joe Rogan for ‘picture-perfect’ right hand in title win – ‘it was like Conor McGregor’
- UFC commentary team lauds new bantamweight champion after his stunning victory against Aljamain Sterling in Boston
- ‘These comparisons with Conor and Sean O’Malley will only grow and that’s a good thing for Sean,’ Daniel Cormier says
Joe Rogan praised Sean O’Malley for a “perfect” right hand that led to his sensational bantamweight title win at UFC 292 on Saturday night in Boston, while Daniel Cormier compared it to Conor McGregor’s famous knockout of Jose Aldo.
O’Malley stopped Aljamain Sterling just 51 seconds into the second round, swarming with hammer fists after catching his fellow American cold with an incredible shot.
The TD Garden erupted in cheers as “Sugar” ended Sterling’s nine-fight win streak in spectacular style.
“It’s a great stoppage but you want to give the champion a chance to recover but man, what a picture-perfect right hand by Sean O’Malley,” UFC commentator Rogan said on the pay-per-view broadcast.
“It was as pretty as any right hand that’s ever been thrown in the Octagon, look at this timing. That was so sensational, it was so perfect. Look how beautiful this is.
“This is the reason why you don’t load up, because these shots are available. It’s just the perfect right hand. A shot like that when you’re moving forward and your opponent catches you, it doubles the power. Boy, is he gonna be huge now.”
Rogan’s commentary partner Daniel Cormier, the former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, compared O’Malley’s shot to the famous left hand that Conor McGregor landed to knock out Jose Aldo and become featherweight champion in 2015.
“Conor got him out of there right away, but look at how eerily similar it is,” Cormier said. “These comparisons with Conor and Sean O’Malley will only grow and that’s a good thing for Sean.
“You get to be part of star-making performances, That’s exactly what you just saw, Sean going to the next level. The best bantamweight of all time, and he finished him. Tonight he became a superstar.”
O’Malley admitted he was “the most nervous I’ve ever been” when he was walking out to the Octagon before the fight.
“In my eyes, Aljamain is the best of all time but I never lost the confidence because I know what I’ve got in this right hand.
“I said going into this fight, it only takes one mistake against me. I don’t even know if that was a mistake, I’m just that f****** good. This is just the beginning of the ‘Sugar’ era. I’m running this s*** until 2035, baby.”
Rogan and Cormier suggested a rematch with Marlon “Chito” Vera would be a perfect first title defence. The Ecuadorean handed O’Malley his only professional loss in 2020, and beat Pedro Munhoz by decision in the opening bout of Saturday’s main card.
“Did Chito win?” O’Malley asked. “Was it boring? Probably. I’ll whup Chito’s ass in December in Vegas at T-Mobile. Let’s f****** go, baby.”
