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Sean O’Malley has added another piece of hardware to his collection after winning the Best MMA Fighter ESPY at the 2024 ESPY Awards on Thursday night. This annual ESPN event celebrates the best in sports from the previous year.

In the Best UFC Fighter category, O’Malley triumphed over light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev, and strawweight champion Zhang Weili.

Since the start of 2023, O’Malley has fought twice. He secured the 135-pound world title with a second-round knockout victory against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in Boston last August. He then returned in March to headline UFC 299 in Miami, where he dominated rival Marlon Vera over five rounds in their rematch, marking his first successful title defense.

Currently, O’Malley’s second title defense has not been announced, but he is expected to face rising contender Merab Dvalishvili.

With this win, O’Malley joins 2023 winner Jon Jones among fighters who have captured the Best MMA Fighter ESPY, alongside notable names like Charles Oliveira, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Daniel Cormier. Before 2019, MMA fighters competed with boxers for the Best Fighter ESPY award, before receiving their own dedicated category.

Previous winners of the Best Fighter statuette include Demetrious Johnson, Conor McGregor, and Ronda Rousey.