Vera hands O'Malley 1st career loss at UFC 252
Sean O'Malley bid farewell to his undefeated record at UFC 252.
Marlon Vera finished the rising bantamweight prospect via TKO at 4:40 of the first round on Saturday in Las Vegas.
O'Malley appeared to injure his foot early in the fight and struggled to stay upright until Vera earned the finish. He was taken out of the Octagon on a stretcher, according to ESPN's Ariel Helwani.
"Sugar" fell over late in the opening frame, and Vera jumped on top of him and unloaded three vicious elbows. O'Malley wasn't especially close to being out, but referee Herb Dean recognized he was injured and didn't let the bout go on longer than necessary.
In the opening moments, O'Malley attacked Vera with leg kicks, keeping the Ecuador native at a distance. Vera had his moments, but it wasn't until he noticed his opponent was hurt that he began to take over.
With the victory, Vera bounced back from a recent loss to Song Yadong. He is now 6-1 in his past seven outings.
O'Malley fell short for the first time in his professional career. The 25-year-old's UFC record moved to 4-1.