Watch: Israel Adesanya’s Live Reaction to Sean O’Malley’s Stunning KO Victory Over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292

Viewers of UFC 292 bore witness to a stunning upset. The Bantamweight title was up for grabs as the defending champion Aljamain Sterling hoped to defend his title against the contender Sean O’Malley. However, in a stunning TKO, Sean O’Malley put an end to the reigning Champ’s run and took on the top position for himself. Fans all over the world discussed the event on online forums. Many supported the new champion, while others wished the outcome was different. Some went so far as to criticize the referee for an early stoppage. However, among the multitude of reactions, we look at what Israel Adesanya had to say.

Interestingly, hours before the match, Israel Adesanya laid down his predictions for the outcome. That makes this video all the more interesting. After a first round that went unbiased for both fighters, Sean O’Malley took the reins in the second. A few moments into the round, Sterling attempted to catch O’Malley on the face. But ‘The Funkmaster’ fell short, leaving open a huge gap that ‘Sugar’ could capitalize on. With an incredible reaction time, ‘Sugar’ landed a nasty right on Sterling’s exposed head, sending him to the ground. As the world watched a new champion being made, Izzy also had some words for the occasion.

Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya reacts to incredible TKO victory

In the clip he uploaded to his YouTube channel we see footage of ‘The Stylebender’ reacting to the title fight. In the moments leading up to the big TKO, we see Izzy appreciative of O’Malley’s fighting style. He said, “It’s good footwork. Shake and bake. Feint. That’s what I’m saying”. At the moment of the critical strike, we see Izzy’s crew exclaim in disbelief, as Adesanya lets out a singular, “Wow”. Right after the first blow, O’Malley goes after a downed Sterling. When Marc Goddard, the referee, steps in to call it, Adesanya is all applause for ‘Sugar’.

‘Stylebender’ continued, “Destiny. Destiny. Destiny. That’s destiny man, damn”. In his prediction video, Adesanya uses similar terms to explain why it was Sean O’Malley’s time to come out on top. Seemingly addressing Sean, Adesanya said, “Take the moment in son. Take the moment in son. It’s called destiny man. Sometimes when it’s a n**ga’s time it’s a n**ga’s time”. Clearly pleased at the outcome we see a happy Adesanya give the new champ his flowers in this video.

Adesanya’s commentary during the aftermath

Revisiting the crucial and well-timed right hand that O’Malley threw, Izzy said, “Checkmate, checkmate”. Amidst accusations and doubts of early stoppage, Israel gave the viewers his call. He said, “It could’ve gone for a little longer, but it would’ve been bad. Yeah, but it’d be bad”. Adesanya also gave props to Sterling for putting on a performance. He had some words of empathy for the former champ. The Middleweight Champ stated, “It happens, son. Sometimes you’re the hammer sometimes you’re the nail”.

Read More: Hours Before UFC 292, Israel Adesanya Makes Shocking Pick as “Nice Guy” Aljamain Sterling Gets Snubbed for Sean O’Malley

As the video draws to a close Adesanya thoroughly enjoys ‘Sugar’s victory stride. During the clip, he joked, “It never hits like the first time. Actually nah it does”. The two-time Middleweight Champion is more than qualified to speak on this topic of firsts and seconds. The video ends on this humorous note. The outcome highlights how accurate Adesanya’s analysis was. It also displayed the respect that fighters had for their craft and for each other. Did you watch the stunning TKO yet? What are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments below.

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