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With one perfectly-timed right hand, Sean O’Malley delivered on his considerable hype at UFC 292 , as he stopped Aljamain Sterling via technical knockout 51 seconds into Round 2 of Saturday’s headliner at the TD Garden in Boston. With the victory, O’Malley assumes the No. 1 position at bantamweight, but in a loaded division, he’ll have a cadre of worthy contenders breathing down his neck.
Meanwhile, Weili Zhang solidified her No. 1 ranking at strawweight with a lopsided beatdown of Amanda Lemos in the UFC 292 co-main event. “Magnum” has rebounded nicely from back-to-back losses against Rose Namajunas in 2021, and now owns four victories in championship bouts during her promotional tenure.
Elsewhere, Marlon Vera remained relevant at 135 pounds with a decision victory over replacement opponent Pedro Munhoz on the UFC 292 main card. With Jose Aldo exiting the bantamweight poll due to retirement, Vera climbs from 11th to 10th in the bantamweight poll — and a rematch with O’Malley could be in his future. In other action, Larissa Pacheco maintained her No. 5 ranking at women’s featherweight with a 14-second blowout of Olena Kolesnyk in the PFL playoffs, and Ian Garry debuts in the welterweight rankings at No. 15 after picking apart Neil Magny on the UFC 292 main draw.
Note: Previous rankings listed in brackets.
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