LAS VEGAS – “The Suga Show” had a triumphant reboot Saturday at UFC 248 when [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] made quick work of [autotag]Jose Quinonez[/autotag] in his first fight in two years.
O’Malley (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who has been out of action since March 2018 due to injuries and a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency situation that ultimately resulted in his innocence, put on a striking clinic against a helpless Quinonez (8-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) to finish the fight in just 2:02.
The bantamweight bout closed out the UFC 248 preliminary card at T-Mobile Arena. It aired on ESPN following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.
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O’Malley came out of the gate throwing a diverse striking attack in Quinonez’s direction. Eventually a big shot clipped Quinonez that sent him down to the canvas, and O’Malley swarmed until referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in to wave it off.
“It’s hard to put into words,” an emotional O’Malley said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “I can’t even put it into words. Definitely ‘The Suga Show 2.0.’ I definitely have more tools and more moves for a sweet finish.”
THE BROMANCE IS BACK.@SugaSeanMMA and @JoeRogan reunited and it's feels so good! 👏 #UFC248 pic.twitter.com/Or0G1ym9XW
— UFC (@ufc) March 8, 2020
Up-to-the-minute UFC 248 results include:
- Sean O’Malley def. Jose Quinonez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:02
- Mark Madsen def. Austin Hubbard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Rodolfo Vieira def. Saparbek Safarov via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:58
- Gerald Meerschaert def. Deron Winn via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:13
- Giga Chikadze def. Jamall Emmers via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Danaa Batgerel def. Guido Cannetti via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:01