UFC 292: Zhang Weili win to retain title

UFC 292 is on the horizon as Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley headline the TD Garden in Boston this weekend. Saturday's showdown is a modern-day masterclass in grappling vs. striking.

Sterling has emerged as arguably the greatest bantamweight in UFC history. The defending champ has a record-setting 14 bantamweight wins, looks to extend his record nine-fight winning streak in the division and boasts the most bantamweight title defenses in promotional history. Another successful defense ties him with TJ Dillashaw for all-time wins in bantamweight title fights. He also holds records for control time and total fight time.

Sterling threw a left that O'Malley dodged and then threw a blistering straight right that landed on the chin. Sterling went down in the center of the Octagon and O'Malley landed punches from the top until referee Marc Goddard stopped it 51 seconds of Round 2. The win, in the main event of UFC 292 in Boston, came after a slow-paced first round.

UFC 292 will also feature the women’s strawweight championship fight between Zhang Weili and Amanda Lemos.

In order to stream UFC 292, you’ll have to purchase the pay-per-view event on ESPN+. If you aren’t already an ESPN+ subscriber, you’ll have to sign up for an account ($9.99/month) before purchasing the PPV fight for $80. You can also sign up for the Disney Bundle, which wraps in ESPN+, Disney and Hulu for $10.99, before purchasing the PPV event.

The first four fights of the UFC 292 pay-per-view finished in decisions, but O’Malley (17-1, 1 NC) ensured that did not happen in the main event. It was a shock to see Sterling (23-4) take a TKO defeat, especially only 51 seconds into the second round, but O’Malley landed the right shot.

The victory is especially significant for the bantamweight division, as Sterling is likely to move weight classes and compete at featherweight. Sterling is one of the greatest bantamweights in UFC history, but he fell prey to O’Malley’s reach and knockout power.

The other title fight sees the beginning of the second reign as champ for Zhang. The Chinese champion regained the 115-pound title in November with a second-round submission of Carla Esparza. The Chinese fighter has been on a tear since losing a close decision to Rose Namajunas in November 2021, also scoring a TKO of Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Lemos, meanwhile, bounced back from a first-round submission loss to Jessica Andrade in April 2022 to score a pair of stoppage victories to close the year and earn her title shot.

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Sarah H

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