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UFC bantamweight stars Cody Garbrandt and Sean O’Malley each scored devastating knockouts over their opponents last weekend at UFC 250, and both have continued over the past week to explain why their stunning stoppage victory was better than the other.
First, if you haven’t yet witnessed the glory of these two knockouts, you really should.
O’Malley obliterated Eddie Wineland in the first round of the first fight on the UFC 250 main card last weekend in Las Vegas.
You can watch O’Malley’s amazing one-punch knockout below.
As you can see, O’Malley’s spectacular knockout appeared to be on its way to easily being the best knockout of UFC 250, as well as on the very short list of best knockouts for the whole year.
But then Garbrandt came to the cage and starched Raphael Assuncao.
You can watch Garbrandt’s picture-perfect one-punch knockout below.
Both fighters earned $50,000 Performance of the Night bonuses.
But which knockout was better?
O’Malley Believes His KO Was ‘Technically’ Better
O’Malley posted a video on YouTube to state his case for why his vicious knockout over Wineland was the better one.
“There’s levels to striking,” O’Malley explained. “When you got power in your hands, you can just bend down and just throw something, and if it lands you’ll probably knock someone out. I choose pure, clean, technique, and speed. But they’re both cool.”
You can watch O’Malley’s video explanation below.
Garbrandt States His ‘Way Better’ Case
Not to be outdone, Garbrandt stated his case about why his knockout was better to TMZ Sports.
“Mine was way better,” Garbrandt said. “Way vicious. My dude couldn’t get up.”
The former UFC bantamweight champion had suffered three straight stoppage losses before scoring the dominant victory over Assuncao.
Indeed, one might even argue that Garbrandt looked as good as ever in the win, and that’s a scary thought for the rest of the 135-pound division going forward.
Regardless, Garbrandt suggested the level of competition should matter in the debate over which fighter scored the better knockout at UFC 250.
While O’Malley is one of the most intriguing prospects in the sport right now, Garbrandt scored his one-punch KO over a top-rated contender whereas O’Malley’s opponent Wineland wasn’t even rated in the division.
Assuncao was ranked No. 5 at bantamweight heading into UFC 250, so Garbrandt expects extra points in the debate for knocking him out.
“Hats off to him,” Garbrandt said. “He did good, went out there and performed, got a knockout victory…but you can’t compare when you’re fighting the Top 5 in the world.”
You can watch Garbrant’s entire talk with TMZ Sports below.
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Cody Garbrandt vs. Sean O’Malley?
The two aren’t likely to agree anytime soon about which fighter had the better knockout, and some have suggested the two hard-hitting bantamweights should square off against each other next to help decide the matter.
While O’Malley believes that fight to be in his future someday soon, it probably doesn’t make sense for the UFC to make the fight happen until it’s clear their bantamweight prodigy O’Malley is absolutely ready for such a stern test.
After all, O’Malley is just now ranked No. 15 in the division, so he has way more fights to win against other contenders before jumping all the way up to facing a former champion like Cody Garbrandt.
Meanwhile, Garbrandt moved all the way up to No. 5 from No. 9 after UFC 250.
Still, whenever the fight does eventually happen, the two men will have a good reason to try to outdo each other that night, too.
Both Cody Garbrandt and Sean O’Malley are sensational strikers who made the most of their last fights, and both have plenty more knockouts to score over others in the future.
Heck, someday one of them might knock out the other.
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