Tonight’s UFC 252 co-main attraction featured a key bantamweight bout between surging division contenders Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera.

O’Malley (12-1 MMA) entered tonight’s co-headliner looking to build off the momentum of his sensational first round knockout victory over former WEC title holder Eddie Wineland at UFC 250.

Standing in the way of ‘Sugar’ was dangerous opponent Marlon Vera (16-6-1 MMA). ‘Chito’ had entered UFC 252 looking to rebound, this after having his five-fight win streak snapped by Song Yadong via decision in his most recent outing.

Tonight’s UFC 252 O’Malley vs. Vera contest proved to be a short-lived contest. Marlon Vera was able to hurt Sean O’Malley’s knee early in the contest with a heavy low kick. Shortly after ‘Sugar’s’ leg would give out on him for good and ‘Chito’ promptly finished him off with strikes.

Official UFC 252 Result: Marlon Vera TKO’s Sean O’Malley in Round 1

Shortly following the conclusion of tonight’s pay-per-view event Sean O’Malley took to Twitter where he sent out the following message to his fans.

https://twitter.com/SugaSeanMMA/status/1294873074324533249

“Love y’all.” O’Malley wrote.

‘Sugar’ was transported to hospital immediately following tonight’s loss to Vera to have his knee examined by medical officials.

Judging by the way O’Malley’s knee continuously gave out on him during the tonight’s brief contest, it is like that the ‘Sugar Show’ will be put on hold for the foreseeable future.

Former UFC champions Cody Garbrandt and Henry Cejudo both took the opportunity to poke fun at O’Malley following his first career loss (see that here).

Who would you like to see Sean O’Malley fight next when he is healthy and ready to return to the cage? Share your thoughts in the comments section PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on August 15, 2020