John Brannigan/Sherdog.com illustration
Sean O'Malley delivered on his considerable potential — albeit in controversial fashion.
Elsewhere at UFC 280, Beneil Dariush extended his winning streak to eight with a hard-fought decision victory against Mateusz Gamrot. Considering he was on the brink of a title shot already, it was a dangerous fight for the Kings MMA representative to accept, but he did so with enthusiasm. He may have to do it again, because it looks like newly-crowned lightweight champ Islam Makhachev may very well make his first title defense against reigning featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski in the near future.
Meanwhile, Belal Muhammad made a major statement at 170 pounds, as he overwhelmed the previously undefeated Sean Brady en route to a second-round TKO win. Muhammad’s unbeaten streak currently stands at nine, but like Dariush, he could be waiting if a belt is what he desires, as all signs point toward a Leon Edwards-Kamaru Usman trilogy in the near future.
In other action, Manon Fiorot continued her climb up the female flyweight rankings by outpointing an overweight Katlyn Chookagian; Nikita Krylov made a move in the light heavyweight poll thanks to a victory over former No. 1 contender Volkan Oezdemir and Karol Rosa stays relevant in the women’s bantamweight division after besting Lina Lansberg via majority decision.
Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.