A men’s bantamweight bout between Sean O’Malley and Kris Moutinho kicked off tonight’s UFC 264 main card from Las Vegas.
O’Malley (14-1 MMA) was originally scheduled to face Louis Smolka at the event, however the Hawaiian was forced to pull out of the scrap due to a staph infection.
Stepping in on short-notice to face Sean O’Malley was Kris Moutinho (9-5 MMA). The New England based fighter entered UFC 264 on a two-fight win streak, his latest being a submission win over Andrew Salas under the CFFC banner.
Meanwhile, ‘Suga‘ had entered Saturday’s event in hopes of building off the momentum of his knockout victory over Thomas Almeida at UFC 260. O’Malley’s lone career setback came at the hands of Chito Vera back in August of 2020.
Tonight’s Sean O’Malley vs. Kris Moutinho fight proved to be a much better fight than many were expecting. Although O’Malley clearly outpointed Moutinho for the duration of the fight, the UFC newcomer showed unbelievable toughness during his 14+ minutes in the cage with ‘Suga’. After landing a four-punch combination late in the fight, referee Herb Dean decided he had seen enough and called a stop to the action.
Official UFC 264 Result: Sean O’Malley def. Kris Moutinho via TKO at 4:37 of Round 3
Check out how the pros reacted to O’Malley vs. Moutinho below:
https://twitter.com/ALIAQUINTA/status/1414046620627386369
Anyone have money on Kris Moutinho? #UFC264
— Below the Belt with Brendan Schaub (@btbshowtime) July 11, 2021
Letsss gooooo!! #Bantamweights #UFC264
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) July 11, 2021
-1000 whoa!!! #UFC264
— Tatiana Suarez (@tatianaufc) July 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/ALIAQUINTA/status/1414047203254022151
Here we go! #UFC264
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) July 11, 2021
This situation is how legends are made…. Last minute replacement beats huge fav. Let’s go muthino #UFC264
— ike vallie-flagg (@IKEVF) July 11, 2021
Damn Moutinho can take a punch! But this fight isn’t close to competitive.
— Funky (@Benaskren) July 11, 2021
Post-fight reactions to Sean O’Malley vs. Kris Boutinho:
https://twitter.com/JustinJaynesMMA/status/1414049829940908032
https://twitter.com/ALIAQUINTA/status/1414049256181207044
Give this guy bonus money for recovery #Mountinho #Zombie #UFC264
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) July 11, 2021
If you don’t give Chris 75k for that… @ufc #UFC264
— Devin Powell (@DevinPowellMMA) July 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/Justin_Gaethje/status/1414052143040929793
LETS GO @SugaSeanMMA
my boy just smashed the record for most significant strikes in just 3 rounds
FUCKING IMPRESSIVE
— Paul Paul (@jakepaul) July 11, 2021
Who would you like to see Sean O’Malley fight next following his TKO victory over Kris Moutinho at tonight’s UFC 264 event in Las Vegas? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!