Sean O’Malley put on a striking clinic against Thomas Almeida.
Looking to rebound from his first career loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252, O’Malley faced Almeida at UFC 260 in March 2021.
Almeida looked to chop away at the legs of O’Malley, who was light on his feet and continuously changed stances. O’Malley poked away at Almeida from the outside, making it hard for him to reach him. “The Suga Show” blasted Almeida with a head kick, followed by a left hand, but somehow Almeida was still in the fight.
Almeida tried to work his way back into Round 2, landing two hard leg kicks – one which dropped O’Malley. But O’Malley’s movement and feints continued to give Almeida problems. In Round 3, O’Malley’s pressure started to take a toll on the durable Almeida, who was finally put down with a left hand and a massive right on the ground which put him out.
O’Malley returns to action Oct. 22 when he takes on former champion Petr Yan (33-8 MMA, 21-8 UFC) on the UFC 280 main card at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Before he faces Yan, relive O’Malley’s finish of Almeida in the video above.
UFC free fight: Sean O’Malley lights up Thomas Almeida, knocks him out in Round 3
