UFC 292
Review
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Sugar Show. A review of the spectacular card in Boston – now available for you on CORNER
A new champion
This is the Suga Show
Wow, that was a fight. As already discussed in the review, the main event of UFC 292 pitted two completely different fighters, Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley, against each other. And when the matchup is an all-rounder versus a kickboxer, the latter's motto is often the lucky punch. This means specifically preparing a move in training to win the fight in one move.
The first round wasn't one UFC fans will remember for long. Both fighters played cautiously, rarely closing the distance between them. Neither Sterling nor O'Malley managed to land any notable punches throughout the entire five minutes of the first round. The judges awarded the first round to Sterling due to the slightly higher number of strikes landed.
Then it was time for round 2. After just under a minute, the Dana White's Contender Series alum landed a beautiful right hand as Sterling tried to close the distance, knocking the multiple defending champion down. Hammerfists followed on the prone champion, and referee Marc Goddard was finally forced to intervene and stop the fight.
Kurzer Schock, gefolgt von purer Dominanz
And still.....
The co-main event featured a thrilling clash between the resurgent titleholder Zhang Weili and the up-and-coming Brazilian Amanda Lemos. In the hotly contested women's strawweight division, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially for Amanda Lemos, to finally win gold.
The Brazilian challenger had her best moment right in the first round. Shortly before the end of the first five minutes, Lemos was brought down by Zhang, but managed to launch a defensive ninja choke, which looked very dangerous for Zhang. The Chinese titleholder, however, remained calm and was able to escape the situation.
From then on, it only went in one direction: the champion threw her opponent to the ground almost at will and dominated the exchanges.
Zhang floored Lemos with a clean right hand early in the fifth round and dominated her for the remainder of the round, putting her stamp on the first title defense of her second reign in the 115-pound weight class.
Great main card in Boston
Three Unanimous Decisions
In the third fight on the main card, rising star Ian Garry faced veteran Neil Magny. As many fight fans had expected, the young Irishman delivered an extremely dominant performance, winning 30-26, 30-26, and 30-24. Leg kicks, in particular, proved fatal to the Frenchman early on.
The two previous fights were a bit closer. However, Chito Vera and Mario Bautista were able to prevail in two good-looking fights against Pedro Munhoz and Da'Mon Blackshear.
What happens next?
Exciting prospects for every UFC fan
Well, if anyone doubted Sean O'Malley before Saturday night, they probably don't doubt him anymore. The bottom line is that Aljamain Sterling was the rightful champion of the 135-pound division—and O'Malley stopped him. In the tight bantamweight division, there are now plenty of matchups for the NEO champ. We're thinking of names like Marlon Vera, Merab Dvalishvili, and Cory Sandhagen.
For the dominant Zhang Weili, a future matchup with Tatiana Suarez is a possibility. A rematch with Rose Namajunas is also being discussed repeatedly. It's clear that the future challengers will have to perform at their best against the Chinese. From today's perspective, there's no other way to beat the champion.
Third and last, we'll mention Ian "Machado" Garry, who now boasts a 13-0 record. His first real test at welterweight is fast approaching.