The Suga Show is back in the win column.
Helena native and Montana fighter "Suga" Sean O'Malley out-dueled Song Yadong at UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday in a bantamweight mixed martial arts fight. O'Malley won the bout by unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the contest 29-28.
Sweet, sweet victory π¬@SugaSeanMMA gets the UD victory tonight![ #UFC324 | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/nIoAeXsPaW
β UFC (@ufc) January 25, 2026
O'Malley improved to 19-3 with one no contest in his pro MMA career. He is 11-3 with the no contest in the UFC.
After going back to his original walkout song, "Superstar" by Lupe Fiasco to a big ovation from the Las Vegas crowd, the fight started back and forth with both top-5 UFC bantamweights feeling each other out.
O'Malley, the No. 3 ranked bantamweight, landed more significant strikes and was pushing the pace with control, and despite a late takedown by Yadong in the waning seconds, no additional damage was done and the judges still all gave the first round to O'Malley.
The second round saw Yadong, the No. 5 bantamweight, land another takedown with more control and damage, with attacks focused on his legs. But the third round is where O'Malley shined and showed why he previously won a UFC title.
O'Malley out-paced Yadong 25-12 in significant strikes in the third round and began to draw blood as Yadong had no answer for O'Malley's output, and from start to finish O'Malley was in control of the final frame.
"God, it feels good to win!" a clearly elated and relieved O'Malley screamed into the microphone during the postgame interview with Joe Rogan during the Paramount+ broadcast. "I hate losing!"
The cameras then cut to O'Malley's father, Dan, and his daughter, Elena, who Sean brought into the cage, noting it was her first time watching him fight live. O'Malley was also joined after by his head coach and best friend in Great Falls native Tim Welch.
It was O'Malley's first victory since March 9, 2024, when he defended the UFC bantamweight title against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. He was on a two-fight skid heading into Saturday's fight after back-to-back losses to Merab Dvalishvili.
In the post-fight interview, O'Malley also called for a title fight against current champion Petr Yan. Yan defeated Dvalishvili in December to claim the belt. O'Malley currently holds a win over Yan after a split decision victory at UFC 280 on Oct. 22, 2022.
