Boxing aficionado Teddy Atlas compared Sean O’Malley to British legend Prince Naseem Hamed after his devastating knockout against Thomas Almeida.
The ‘Sugar’ show returned to Las Vegas in style after a disappointing defeat to Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 252.
After recovering from a leg injury, O’Malley returned in sensational style and lived up to his nickname with a sweet victory courtesy of a slick striking performance.
The 26-year-old felt as though he had finished the fight in the first round with a sickening head kick, opting to walk away and wait for the referee to stop the fight.
Yet Almeida is as tough as they come and managed to withstand a barrage of punches, kicks and knees from the Montana-native.
However, O’Malley proved he still has the X-factor with a short left hook in the third round which he followed up with a huge right hand to his downed opponent to finish the fight.
Watching on from home, Atlas took to Twitter to voice his approval of O’Malley and his performance, comparing him to former featherweight champion Hamed.
He wrote: “Almeida – O’Malley, I haven’t seen someone this talented and unorthodox since maybe Prince Hamed in 80’s. And literally a colourful style.
“You need to use feints before just attacking with O’Malley, make him move too soon then come. Easier said than done. Wow special talent.
“Great talent, instinct and technique. Unique and special.”