Sean O’Malley stops Aljamain Sterling to win UFC bantamweight title

BOSTON — Sean O’Malley gained the UFC bantamweight title on Saturday night time, stopping Aljamain Sterling within the second spherical in the principle occasion at UFC 292 on the TD Backyard.

O’Malley (17-1), of Phoenix, dropped Sterling with an overhand proper early within the second. With Sterling on the mat, O’Malley hammered the defending champion with left arms to the top till referee Marc Goddard stopped the combat 51 seconds into the spherical.

The 28-year-old O”Malley was preventing in a five-round bout for the primary time. The 34-year-old Sterling dropped to 23-4. He entered the combat with 10 straight wins.

The primary spherical was pretty uneventful. Sterling tried a takedown with 30 seconds left, pinning O’Malley in opposition to the fence earlier than the spherical ended.

Sterling, of Uniondale, New York, was making the fourth protection of his bantamweight title.

Within the co-main occasion, Zhang Weili of China retained her strawweight title with a five-round unanimous determination in opposition to Amanda Lemos of Brazil. The scores have been 50-43, 50-44 and 49-45.

Zhang (24-3) saved Lemos (13-3-1) on the mat for a lot of the combat.

Within the fourth, Lemos had a bit success whereas they have been on their ft, touchdown a proper hand that briefly put Zhang on the mat, however Zhang received up and introduced Lemos to the mat with a takedown and landed a number of knees to the top.