The 2017 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate cut down Aljamain Sterling with punches in the second round of their UFC 292 headliner, as he captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title on Saturday at the TD Garden in Boston. Sterling (23-4, 15-4 UFC) succumbed to blows 51 seconds into Round 2, suffering his first defeat in almost six years.
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O’Malley (16-2, 8-2 UFC) spent much of an uneventful first round getting reads and utilizing feints. He slipped on a misfired kick early in the second, returned to an upright position and lured in Sterling, who overextended on a straight left. O’Malley countered with a picture-perfect right cross that sent the champion into a nosedive onto all fours. He followed up with standing-to-ground hammerfists and continued to let the punches fly until referee Marc Goddard had seen enough.Zhang Dismantles L…