Tag: UFC 276

Report | Sean O’Malley Returns At UFC 276, Meets Brazil Veteran Pedro Munhoz On July 2.

Sean O'MalleySet to fight up the official bantamweight rankings for the second bout in a row, surging divisional striker, Sean O’Malley, who currently sits at #13 in the official pile, is set to draw the #10 ranked challenger, Pedro Munhoz in a main card opener of UFC 276 on July 2. The event is scheduled to […]

Sean O'Malley

Set to fight up the official bantamweight rankings for the second bout in a row, surging divisional striker, Sean O’Malley, who currently sits at #13 in the official pile, is set to draw the #10 ranked challenger, Pedro Munhoz in a main card opener of UFC 276 on July 2. The event is scheduled to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Montana native, Sean O’Malley is currently riding a three-fight winning spree, having rebounded successfully from his first career loss back at UFC 252 in August 2020 where he dropped a first round ground strikes loss to Marlon Vera.

Sean O’Malley has been urged to take a significant step up in competition recently

Sean O’Malley most recently featured on the main card of UFC 269 back in December, defeating Munhoz’s compatriot, the then-top-15 ranked, Raulian Paiva with a one-sided first round knockout victory.

For Munhoz, the Sao Paulo veteran most recently suffered his second consecutive Octagon loss – also featuring on that December pay-per-view card, in a unanimous decision defeat against former two-time bantamweight best, Dominick Cruz. ESPN MMA reporter, Brett Okamoto was first to report O’Malley’s return against Munhoz. 

Before how knockout win over Paiva, O’Malley turned in a bantamweight striking record against short-notice opponent, Kris Moutinho at UFC 264 last July before an eventual third round strikes victory.

The flashy bantamweight striker had successfully returned to the winner’s enclosure against now-promotional alum, Thomas Almeida in March of last year – stopping the Brazilian with a stunning one-punch ground strike knockout win.

Before his defeat to Cruz, Munhoz had met with former featherweight kingpin, Jose Aldo in an all-Brazilian outing – suffering an August unanimous decision drubbing.

In his most recent victory, Munhoz avenged a prior career loss to Jimmie Rivera, adding him to a résumé which includes prior successes against the likes of Cody Garbrandt, Brett Johns, and recent UFC Vegas 53 main event feature, Rob Font.

Sean O’Malley vs. Pedro Munhoz In The Works For UFC 276

UFC fans have been clamoring for Sean O’Malley to face stiffer competition, and it looks like they’ll get their wish in Pedro Munhoz. The targeted matchup between O’Malley and Munhoz was leaked to the general public in the form of the UFC’s matchmaking board. Now, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto is officially reporting that the fight is…

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley vs. Pedro Munhoz In The Works For UFC 276 at MMA News.

UFC fans have been clamoring for Sean O’Malley to face stiffer competition, and it looks like they’ll get their wish in Pedro Munhoz.

The targeted matchup between O’Malley and Munhoz was leaked to the general public in the form of the UFC’s matchmaking board. Now, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto is officially reporting that the fight is in the works.

O’Malley most recently defeated Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 last December. He has won seven of his eight UFC fights, with the lone blemish on his record coming against rising contender Marlon Vera at UFC 252.

O’Malley has bounced back in a big way since the loss to Vera, earning finishes over Thomas Almeida, Kris Moutinho, and Paiva. He made his UFC debut in 2017 against Terrion Ware, earning a unanimous decision victory.

O’Malley got his shot in the UFC following a one-punch knockout against Alfred Khashakyan on Dana White’s Contender Series.

As of the publication of this story, Munhoz is the tenth-ranked bantamweight contender in the UFC. While he’s lost four of his last five, the skid has come against elite competition, including current and former UFC champions like Aljamain Sterling, José Aldo, and Dominick Cruz.

Munhoz’s last win came against Jimmie Rivera in Feb. 2021. He also picked up wins over Cody Garbrandt and Rob Font earlier in his UFC tenure.

UFC 276 doesn’t have an officially announced main event just yet to conclude the UFC’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas. The card could be potentially headlined by a UFC middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Jared Cannonier.

What are your thoughts on the targeted Sean O’Malley vs. Pedro Munhoz matchup?

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley vs. Pedro Munhoz In The Works For UFC 276 at MMA News.

Casey O’Neill Withdraws From UFC 276 Bout Against Eye, Barber Fills In

Rising strawweight prospect Casey O’Neill has been forced to withdraw from her UFC 276 bout against Jessica Eye due to injury. O’Neill made the announcement on her Twitter page on Thursday, citing a serious ACL injury as the reason. “Unfortunately, I have to announce that I need to withdraw from my upcoming fight on July…

Continue Reading Casey O’Neill Withdraws From UFC 276 Bout Against Eye, Barber Fills In at MMA News.

Rising strawweight prospect Casey O’Neill has been forced to withdraw from her UFC 276 bout against Jessica Eye due to injury.

O’Neill made the announcement on her Twitter page on Thursday, citing a serious ACL injury as the reason.

“Unfortunately, I have to announce that I need to withdraw from my upcoming fight on July 2 due to snapping my ACL last week in training. I’ve spent the past 7 days trying to continue on but it’s just not possible on a fully torn ACL. I will have surgery, recover and be back better than ever before you know it.

“I’m so sad that I don’t get to perform for you guys, I’m so sad that I don’t get to fight but I am excited to get healthy and rebuild.”

After thanking the UFC for their support, “King Casey” would close with a promise.

“I am 24 years old and young in this game. I promise you I will be back better than before and the King is still coming for her crown. Love you guys, thank you for the support.”

Cole Shelton would soon reveal that Maycee Barber has agreed to step in for O’Neill and face Jessica Eye. Barber is coming off a unanimous decision victory last weekend over Montana De La Rosa.

O’Neill is undefeated in her young MMA career and has earned four-straight wins in the UFC. She won her UFC debut over Shane Dobson in Feb. 2021 and has had a meteoric rise into the flyweight rankings.

O’Neill most recently earned a split decision win over Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 271. Before that, she earned back-to-back finishes over Antonina Shevchenko and Lara Procopio.

Following her win over Modafferi, O’Neill used her post-fight interview to verbally confront a booing crowd in Houston. She promised to be a “bad guy” going forward. Yet, this vulnerable and inspirational message will likely only win her more fans across the MMA community.

What do you think the UFC future holds for Casey O’Neill upon her eventual return to competition?

Continue Reading Casey O’Neill Withdraws From UFC 276 Bout Against Eye, Barber Fills In at MMA News.