Sean O’Malley, the charismatic UFC bantamweight champion, has been in the spotlight once again. This time, it’s not about his flashy hair or colorful tattoos—it’s about a long-standing debate surrounding his past sparring session with flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.
Back in 2016, O’Malley and Pantoja engaged in a training session. Naturally, both fighters have differing accounts of what transpired during that fateful day. O’Malley claims he stopped Pantoja with a liver shot in the first round, while Pantoja’s camp insists that O’Malley got “smashed.”
Sean O’Malley Shares The TKO Footage
Recently, O’Malley decided to put an end to the speculation. He released a brief clip from that sparring session, and it’s causing quite a stir. The video shows a young O’Malley, with his natural darker hair color, throwing a powerful body kick to Pantoja’s liver. The impact is evident, and Pantoja immediately signals for a break. In a legitimate fight, calling for such a break would be an immediate TKO finish.
1st round Tko 2016. undefeated. Henry in his corner he was crying. pic.twitter.com/MUmwTsUMN1
— Sean O'Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) May 10, 2024
The footage confirms O’Malley’s claim of a “1st round TKO” in their sparring session. Pantoja, despite being a tough competitor, couldn’t withstand the precision and power of O’Malley’s strikes.
Pantoja, who recently defended his flyweight title against Steve Erceg, has expressed interest in moving up to bantamweight to face Sean O’Malley. With this newly revealed footage, the stakes are even higher. Fans are buzzing about a potential showdown between the two champions.
As for Sean O’Malley, he continues to ride the wave of success, coming off a dominant performance against Marlon Vera in the UFC 299 headliner. Whether this sparring session will lead to an official matchup remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the intrigue surrounding Sean O’Malley and Alexandre Pantoja just got a whole lot more intense.