Sean O’Malley Unseats Aljamain Sterling, Assumes Bantamweight Throne at UFC 292

Sean O’Malley talked the talk for years, and he walked the walk when it mattered most.

The 2017 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate cut down Aljamain Sterling with punches in the second round of their UFC 292 headliner, as he captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title on Saturday at the TD Garden in Boston. Sterling (23-4, 15-4 UFC) succumbed to blows 51 seconds into Round 2, suffering his first defeat in almost six years.

O’Malley (16-2, 8-2 UFC) spent much of an uneventful first round getting reads and utilizing feints. He slipped on a misfired kick early in the second, returned to an upright position and lured in Sterling, who overextended on a straight left. O’Malley countered with a picture-perfect right cross that sent the champion into a nosedive onto all fours. He followed up with standing-to-ground hammerfists and continued to let the punches fly until referee Marc Goddard had seen enough.

Zhang Dismantles Lemos in Five-Round Rout

Well-timed takedowns, asphyxiating control and overwhelming ground-and-pound carried Weili Zhang to a unanimous decision over Amanda Lemos, as she retained the undisputed UFC women’s strawweight championship in the co-main event. Scores were 50-43, 50-44 and 49-45.

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A physical powerhouse in every sense of the word, Zhang (24-3, 8-2 UFC) was on point in every phase. She consolidated takedowns with extended periods of control and multi-pronged ground-and-pound, which included shoulder strikes, short punches and hammerfists. Lemos (13-3-1, 7-3 UFC) had a few near misses, a first-round brabo choke from her back chief among them. Zhang, however, answered her at every turn. She did some of her best work in Round 5, where she decked Lemos with a jarring right hand, moved to a backside crucifix and battered her with punches, hammerfists, elbows and knees to the body. Only the Brazilian’s indomitable will kept her from folding.

Zhang has rattled off three consecutive victories.

Flawless Garry Dominates Magny

The bravado-infused Ian Garry kept his perfect professional record intact and did so with something of a sadistic glee, as he routed “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 16 semifinalist Neil Magny to a unanimous decision in a three-round welterweight showcase. All three judges sided with the undefeated Garry (13-0, 6-0 UFC): 30-26, 30-26 and 30-24.

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A short-notice fill-in for Geoff Neal, Magny (28-11, 21-10 UFC) had no answers for the Kill Cliff Fight Club-trained Irishman. Garry brutalized his lower lead leg with repeated kicks, froze him with feints and hid occasional flurries behind a steady jab. Magny struggled to stay afloat due to uncooperative lower extremities and became more and more of a stationary target as time wore on. Garry moved toward a finish late in the third round, where he connected with a front kick to the face, followed it with a pair of partially blocked head kicks and then drove his opponent to the canvas. He applied his ground-and-pound, paired it with heavy top control and bit down on a guillotine choke in the closing seconds, but Magny managed to survive to hear the final horn.

The 36-year-old Magny has alternated wins and losses in five straight outings.

Bautista Downs Replacement Blackshear

MMA Lab standout Mario Bautista won for the fifth time in as many outings, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over onetime Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Da’Mon Blackshear in a three-round bantamweight feature. Bautista (13-2, 7-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 marks from the judges.

A late replacement for the injured Cody Garbrandt, Blackshear (14-6-1, 2-2-1 UFC) handled himself well in what was his second appearance in seven days. He struck for multiple takedowns across the first 10 minutes, stayed busy in the clinch, scored with leg kicks and even mixed in a few collar-tie elbows. To Bautista’s credit, he kept his composure under considerable duress and put together a dominant Round 3. There, he pressured a visibly fatigued Blackshear, forced him backward and followed completed takedowns by advancing to the back on multiple occasions.

The setback snapped a two-fight winning streak for Blackshear, who had submitted Jose Johnson with a twister at UFC on ESPN 51 on Aug. 12.

Damaging Vera Outduels Munhoz

A crushing jab and clean combination punching spurred RVCA Training Center rep Marlon Vera to a unanimous decision over former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Pedro Munhoz in their three-round bantamweight appetizer. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it for Vera (21-8-1, 15-7 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

Munhoz (20-8, 10-8 UFC) tried to flood his counterpart with output and spent much of the first round appearing to succeed in doing so. Vera caught on in the middle stanza, responded in kind with effective counters and sneaky left hooks to the body, along with the jab around which it all revolved. He pressed his advantages further in Round 3, where he doubled and tripled up on the jab, fired his left hand with more zest and pulled away from Munhoz, who was bleeding from cuts under his right eye and across the bridge of the nose.

Vera, 30, has won five of his past six bouts.

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