UFC 222 main-card breakdown: Who wins Sean O'Malley vs. Andre Soukhamthath grudge match?

MMAjunkie Radio co-host and MMAjunkie contributor Dan Tom provides an in-depth breakdown of UFC 222’s top bouts. Today, we look at the first main-card bouts.

UFC 222 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

ALSO SEE:

• UFC 222 main-event breakdown: Can Yana Kunitskaya do unthinkable, upset Cris Cyborg?
• UFC 222 co-main-event breakdown: Can Brian Ortega be the one who finishes Frankie Edgar?

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Sean O’Malley (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)

Sean O’Malley

Staple info:

• Height: 5’11” Age: 23 Weight: 135 lbs. Reach: 72?
• Last fight: Decision win over Terrion Ware (Dec. 1, 2017)
• Camp: MMA LAB (Arizona)
• Stance/striking style: Switch-stance/kickboxing
• Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:
+ Amateur experience (boxing, kickboxing, MMA)
+ 6 KO victories
+ 1 submission win
+ 6 first-round finishes
+ Aggressive pace and pressure
+ Crafty feints and footwork
+ Good head and trunk movement
+ Accurate shot selection
^ Variates attack levels well
+ Dynamic kicking attacks
+ Deceptively slick in clinch
+ Underrated wrestling ability
+ Active and attacking guard
+ Scrambles well/positionally aware

Andre Soukhamthath (12-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC)

Andre Soukhamthath

Staple info:

• Height: 5’9? Age: 29 Weight: 135 lbs. Reach: 70?
• Last fight: TKO win over Luke Sanders (Dec. 9, 2017)
• Camp: Combat Club (Florida)
• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/muay Thai
• Risk management: Good

Supplemental info:
+ Regional MMA titles
+ 8 KO victories
+ 3 submission wins
+ 3 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Consistent pace and pressure
+ Accurate left hook
^ Coming forward or off the counter
+ Hard leg kicks
+ Dangerous knees
+ Strong inside the clinch
+ Underrated wrestling ability
+ Serviceable transitional grappling
^ Works well from topside

Summary:

In a potential barnburner in the bantamweight division, Sean O'Malley meets Andre Soukhamthath.

Coming off a Dana White’s Contender Series win with a whole lot of buzz, O’Malley has quickly made his brand of fighter known to the masses. Granted a main-card slot on the PPV in just his second promotional appearance, undefeated O’Malley will once again be looking to make the most of the spotlight.

Standing in his way is Soukhamthath, a fellow 135-pound fighter who is also trying to move forward. After an impressive win over Luke Sanders in December, Soukhamthath will attempt a repeat performance when he steps in the cage with another touted prospect.

Starting off on the feet, we have a battle between a dynamic, high-volume striker and a muay Thai stylist who is dangerous off the counter.

O’Malley, the more flamboyant of the two, has a free-flowing style that’s easy to appreciate. Whether he is fighting from orthodox or southpaw, O’Malley shows comfort and confidence that is somewhat surprising for his age.

Firing off jabs effectively from either stance, O’Malley can connect crosses or kicks in succession, smoothly working in spins when feeling in stride.

Defensively, O’Malley is heavily reliant on his head and trunk movement, but the 23-year-old does well with parlaying his slips into rips and draws into returns, maintaining a symbiotic relationship between defense and offense.

Nevertheless, all styles come with caveats as high-volume strikers tend to subject themselves to two-way traffic, something O’Malley will have to respect considering the countering nature of his opposition.

Soukhamthath, deceptively one of the heavier hitters in the division, will have offense of his own to offer on the feet.

A former soccer player, Soukhamthath does well at keeping his feet beneath him, staying almost spring-loaded to throw and counter. Working behind an educated left hand, Soukhamthath will sharply variate his hooks from body to head, as well as shortening up shots and throwing checks when appropriate.

When feeling in stride, Soukhamthath is not shy in unleashing flying knees or going up high with head kicks. However, his overall output has been questionable at times, allowing for fights to be closer than they need to.

Should the rounds get tight in this contest, I will be interested to see if either man looks to capitalize inside of the clinch.

Both fighters are deceptively slick in this space, whether it be in an offensive or defensive capacity. O’Malley demonstrates solid head-positioning as he typically looks to swim his arms out of entanglements and strike off the breaks – whereas Soukhamthath possesses underrated wrestling fundamentals, something that he couples with his strong base and knack to find knees.

Although O’Malley is no slouch when it comes to wrestling and has some crafty trips of his own, I suspect that Soukhamthath will be the man with more of a motive to take this party to the floor.

When working from topside, Soukhamthath seems to have a good feel for positions and transitions. Should he score a takedown or some control time, then he could steal close rounds.

That said, O’Malley is not one to lay down and accept position. The three-year pro is active off of his back, and his leg dexterity makes him difficult to deal with from most places. O’Malley is also no stranger inside of a scramble, and I don’t see ground exchanges between the two lasting long.

The oddsmaker initially opened O’Malley as the favorite, but the line has since shifted, listing Soukhamthath -135 and O’Malley +115 as of this writing.

Both men are young in their UFC careers, but I feel that the current listing is about right. You can certainly make an argument here for O’Malley, citing his high-volume and variety to be the factor that makes the difference from scorecards to exchanges. And despite usually leaning toward the side of high-output fighters, I find myself going the other way here.

O’Malley, though doing well with head and foot movement, tends to live and die on a highway of offense – a place where he could get caught speeding by a sharp counter or check-hook. O’Malley has a bright future regardless of this fight’s outcome, but the pick is Soukhamthath to score an upset stoppage in the second round.

Official pick: Soukhamthath inside the distance