Tag: Sean O’Malley

Holiday spirit: Watch Sean O’Malley hand out $100 to Walmart shoppers

Sean O’Malley was in a giving mood over the holiday and handed random people $100 at Walmart.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] was in a giving mood over the holiday.

The popular rising UFC star visited multiple Walmart stores and handed random people $100 bills as a Christmas gift.

O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was recognized by many fans as he stopped to give hugs and pose for photos while sporting a pink cast on his right hand. Watch the wholesome video below courtesy of his YouTube channel.

O’Malley entered the UFC’s bantamweight rankings at No. 12 when he dispatched Raulian Paiva in the first round at UFC 269. O’Malley has now finished his past three fights and has earned a post-fight bonus in all but one of his octagon wins.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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UFC 269 ‘Fight Motion’: Julianna Peña’s historic title upset of Amanda Nunes in super slo-mo

Check out the super slow motion highlights from UFC 269, including clips of Julianna Peña’s title-winning upset of Amanda Nunes.

[autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] did the unthinkable when she conquered the greatest female fighter of all time.

A massive underdog heading into the fight, Peña (11-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) challenged dual-champion [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 14-2 UFC) for the bantamweight title in the co-main event of UFC 269. The first round was all Nunes, but just like Peña said she would do, she poured on the pressure in Round 2, backing Nunes up with combinations.

The champion started to slow down and as soon as Peña took her down, she was able to cinch in a rear-naked choke and submit Nunes to win the title in one of the greatest upsets in UFC history.

In the main event, [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (32-8 MMA, 20-8 UFC) retained his lightweight belt by submitting [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC), but just like his title-winning performance against Michael Chandler, it didn’t come without adversity.

Oliveira was dropped by Poirier in Round 1, but the Brazilian was able to weather the early storm and take over the fight. After controlling Poirier on the ground in Round 2, the UFC’s all-time leader in finishes and submission wins tapped out Poirier with a standing rear-naked choke in Round 3.

You can watch it all unfold in super slow motion in the UFC 269 “Fight Motion” video highlights above.

Also featured are highlights of [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]’s “Performance of the Night” TKO of Jordan Wright, [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]’s big knockout of Augusto Sakai, [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag]’s comeback win over Pedro Munhoz, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]’s first-round TKO of Raulian Paiva, [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]’s first-round finish of Cody Garbrandt, and much more.

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Spinning Back Clique: Ranking Julianna Peña’s upset and Charles Oliveira’s chances of luring Khabib

This week on “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel recaps an insane UFC 269 event, where Charles Oliveira and Julianna Peña left as champs.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, “Gorgeous” George Garcia and “The Goze” Brian Garcia discuss five topics with host John Morgan.

  • [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] cemented his UFC lightweight title reign with a first defense over Dustin Poirier at UFC 269. Now that ‘The Olive Era’ is underway, what will the future hold? Is he set up for a long reign? Could he even be the man to bring Khabib Nurmagomedov out of retirement?
  • As great as Oliveira looked at UFC 269, his win was overshadowed by [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag], who took down the GOAT, submitting [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] to become a UFC champion. Many are calling this the greatest upset in UFC history. But is it?
  • UFC president Dana White said if Nunes had won against Peña, a fight with [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] would have been one of the biggest fights ever. Does Nunes losing mean the UFC is no longer interested in signing Harrison? How does Peña’s win affect Harrison’s future?
  • The unranked champ, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], defended his title at UFC 269 with a first-round TKO of Raulian Paiva. Afterward, UFC boss White said it was time to get O’Malley some tougher competition and some bigger paychecks. What do you make of “The Sugar Show” right now? Has he played this perfectly, or is he letting opportunities pass him by while he slow-plays his career?
  • [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] called out his broadcast partner [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] for not doing tape study ahead of UFC 269. Was it fair or foul of him to do this?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

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Dana White: ‘Looks like we’re going to have to pay’ Sean O’Malley after UFC 269

We don’t yet know where Sean O’Malley will end up in the rankings, but there may be some other numbers next to his name that matter more.

LAS VEGAS – While we don’t quite yet know where [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] will end up in the UFC’s official rankings following his latest victory, it seems there may be some other numbers next to his name that might matter more.

They’ll be the ones that come just after the dollar sign – and as far as O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) is concerned, hopefully they’ll include a few commas, as well.

UFC president Dana White said after O’Malley’s spectacular win over Raulian Paiva (21-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) at UFC 269 that he’s aware of what the self-proclaimed “unranked champ” wants moving forward, and he thinks “Sugar” is definitely on the right track.

“When you talk to him, two things: He wants to get paid and he wants to fight higher-level competition,” White told MMA Junkie at the night’s post-fight press conference at T-Mobile Arena. “Looks like we’re going to have to pay him, get him some fights.”

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As an alum of the first season of Dana White’s Contender Series, O’Malley isn’t exactly a difficult pitch in terms of gaining the UFC boss’ interest. The 27-year-old bantamweight is dripping with star potential, charismatic and boisterous outside of the cage and incredibly entertaining once the gates are closed.

One only has to look at O’Malley’s track record of six “Fight Night” bonuses in eight UFC appearances to see proof of his fighting skills.

But even in the days leading up to UFC 269, White expressed some concern about where O’Malley deserved to be slotted in the promotion’s 135-pound pecking order.

“He’s a tough kid,” White told Barstool Sports. “He’s fun. He’s exciting to watch, but he’s making his way, you know, the way you’re supposed to. You don’t just turn O’Malley around and throw him against killers. That’s not how it works.”

But after downing 25-fight veteran Paiva in the first round, White seems a little more willing to let O’Malley swim towards the deep end of the division

“The guy he beat tonight is a real guy, a very real guy,” White said. “He did it in spectacular fashion.”

To see White’s full post-fight interview, check out the video below.

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UFC 269 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Second highest payout in program history

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 269 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $323,500.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 269 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $323,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 269 took place at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC 269 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Julianna Pena[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Santiago Ponzinibbio[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Andre Muniz[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ryan Hall[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Darrick Minner[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Tony Kelley[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Randy Costa[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Gillian Robertson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Priscila Cachoeira[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2021 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,929,000
Program-to-date total: $5,929,000

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Sean O’Malley details UFC 269 training camp injury: ‘I couldn’t do the simplest grappling’

Sean O’Malley won by knockout once again at UFC 269 but he’s not sure what would’ve happened if the fight hit the mat.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] won by knockout once again at UFC 269 but he’s not sure what would’ve happened if the fight hit the mat.

In the lead-up to Saturday’s fight, O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) suffered a rib injury that nearly caused him to withdraw from his main card opener vs. Raulian Paiva (21-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC). Instead, he decided to push through and won the fight with strikes late in Round 1.

“I literally think if he were to have taken me down and I tried to get up, I don’t know what would’ve happened,” O’Malley said at a post-fight news conference. “I didn’t spar for the past three weeks. I was grappling. The guy had a body lock, he had my back, had a body lock. I went to turn. He squeezed at the same time. Nothing crazy, just grappling and I don’t really know what exactly happened. Rib injuries, if you’ve ever had a rib injury, they’re just so annoying. They take a while, but I let it chill for about a week.

“I just ran and hit mitts and then tried to grapple again that next week. I couldn’t do the simplest grappling. For the last three weeks, I didn’t grapple at all. I didn’t even test it. I didn’t even want to. I didn’t want to do any clinch work. I didn’t do anything. I came into this fight, planning on him not being able to touch me and just being confident and trusting the work I’ve put in. I’m really proud of myself for having the mindset to be able to come in here and know that.”

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Injured or not, O’Malley found comfort in another victory. He’s happy with his performance and thinks his evolution is continuing on the right track. So what’s next? Well, “The Sugar Show” said he doesn’t even want to think about fighting right now.

“I fought three times last year,” O’Malley said. “I fought three times this year. I feel like every day I have a fight coming up. I feel like I’m just going to enjoy this and try to not book a fight and just enjoy being with my family and my little princess. I’m sure I’ll fight in March (or) April. Who will it be? I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter. As long as ‘The Suga Show’ is fighting, I don’t think people will care too much who I’m fighting.”

UFC 269 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

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Video: Watch Sean O’Malley’s live reaction to Cody Garbrandt’s TKO loss at UFC 269

Check out Sean O’Malley live reaction to Cody Garbrandt’s TKO loss at Saturday’s UFC 269.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]’s live reaction to Cody Garbrandt’s latest defeat was caught on camera.

During an interview backstage with the UFC, O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) watched Garbrandt suffer a first-round TKO loss to Kai Kara-France on the main card of Saturday’s UFC 269 pay-per-view.

UFC 269 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Below is O’Malley’s live reaction to Garbrandt’s defeat:

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O’Malley was fresh off his TKO win over Brazil’s Raulian Paiva as he watched Garbrandt. Both O’Malley and Garbrandt have a history as they’ve traded shots over social media and interviews over the last few years.

At Thursday’s UFC 269 press conference, O’Malley and the former UFC bantamweight champion got into a back-and-forth that ended with both fighters getting up from their seats and facing off on stage just as security held them back.

Following their respective bouts at UFC 269, Garbrandt is now on a 1-5 run that ended his impressive 11-0 start in the sport. Meanwhile, O’Malley is on a three-fight winning streak since suffering his lone professional defeat to Ecuador’s Marlon Vera.

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UFC 269 results: Sean O’Malley swarms Raulian Paiva with vicious barrage en route to TKO

“The Suga Show” kept on rolling at UFC 269, as he picked up yet another knockout.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] keeps on rolling.

Kicking off the UFC 269 main card in style, O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) finished [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) with a barrage of punches at 4:42 of Round 1.

UFC 269 took place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

From the opening bell, O’Malley dictated the dance. He dipped in and out with a funky style, technically out-striking the smaller Brazilian. With his jab on point and his footwork quick, O’Malley connected with a series of punches that stunned Paiva late in Round 1.

Paiva was never able to recover as he absorbed blow after blow. He hung tough and did not go unconscious but referee Jason Herzog saw the fighter take enough unanswered strikes to waive off the fight.

Outside of a loss to Marlon Vera, in which he suffered a leg injury, O’Malley has not lost any other of his promotional appearances. Since his breakthrough performance on Dana White’s Contender Series in July 2017, O’Malley has picked up wins over the likes of Thomas Almeida, Eddie Wineland, and Kris Moutinho among others.

The loss for Paiva snaps a three-fight winning streak, which included victories over Mark De La Rosa, Zhalgas, Zhumagulov, and Kyler Phillips. UFC 269 marked the second time Paiva competed at bantamweight in the promotion, as his first four promotional appearances took place at flyweight.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC 269 include:

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Twitter reacts to Sean O’Malley’s thrilling TKO of Raulian Paiva at UFC 269

See the top Twitter reactions to Sean O’Malley’s victory against Raulian Paiva at UFC 269.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] got his hand raised once again on Saturday when he dispatched of [autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] in the UFC 269 main card opener.

O’Malley (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) extended his winning streak to three fights courtesy of a first-round TKO win over Paiva (21-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) in the bantamweight matchup, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to O’Malley’s victory over Paiva at UFC 269.

UFC 269 play-by-play and live results (6 p.m. ET)

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC 269 in Las Vegas.

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LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on the scene for Saturday’s UFC 269 event.

UFC 269 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, Charles Oliveira will look to record his first lightweight title defense against former interim champion Dustin Poirier. In the co-feature, two-division champion Amanda Nunes will put her women’s bantamweight title on the line against Julianna Pena. Also, former bantamweight champion Cody Garbradnt drops down to flyweight for the first time where he will meet Kai Kara-France. The eccentric Sean O’Malley takes on Raulian Paiva to kick things off the pay-per-view main card.

To discuss the show, be sure to check out our UFC 269 discussion thread. You can also get behind-the-scenes coverage and other event notes from on-site reporters John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) and Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) on Twitter.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.