Don't expect UFC prospect Sean O'Malley to be any less free-wheeling

LAS VEGAS – UFC bantamweight Sean O'Malley lived up to the hype he generated on “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series,” and he was pushed in his octagon debut.

Terrion Ware (17-7 MMA, 0-2 UFC) was no easy task when he welcomed O’Malley (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) to the promotion in the FS1-televised co-headliner of Saturday’s The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale, which took place at Park Theater in Las Vegas.

In the second round, it looked like the newcomer was short on gas and fading as he took punches from the persistent veteran.

The good news, at least to O’Malley, is that he can only go up from here.

“It was a good push,” O’Malley told MMAjunkie. “I got to show my heart. I knew I had my heart, but I had to show it to everyone. It was a good fight. I’m going to grow from it and become better from it.”

In the final frame, O’Malley rediscovered the fast and loose countering style that stymied Ware, and won key exchanges. Not only that, he showed the crowd he isn’t just a striker, nabbing two takedowns to secure a unanimous decision.

“I really wanted a finish, but I’m super excited,” O’Malley said. “I thought it was a good performance, but I really want that finish.”

The undefeated O’Malley might have rode a wave of attention into his UFC debut, but that wasn’t holding him back when he engaged with Ware. The only difficulty was the chin on his opponent.

“I didn’t feel any extra pressure,” he said. “I didn’t feel any nerves. I think that kid’s just really tough. I hit him a lot, and he didn’t go down.”

In the process, O’Malley repeatedly exposed himself to danger, letting Ware swarm him as they fought against the cage. But he doesn’t plan on changing his style any time soon. If anything, he said, he’s going to get looser from here on out.

“That’s just how I fight,” he said. “You look at all my fights since I was 16, kickboxing, they all look like that. I’m just getting better and getting more tricks. They’re all going to look like that from now on, too.”

To hear more from O’Malley, check out the video above.

For complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.