Sean O’Malley wanted to be the first fighter to knock out Pedro Munhoz. Instead, he and his Brazilian opponent left the octagon winless after an accidental eye poke brought their UFC 276 pay-per-view opener to a crashing halt.
Referee Jason Herzog waved off the fight on the advice of the cageside doctor at the 3:09 mark of the second round after Munhoz said he couldn’t see out of one of his eyes. The crowd loudly booed the call, though O’Malley raised his hands afterward as if victorious.
Speculation over the severity of the injury emerged online as fighters absorbed the disappointing ending to an otherwise competitive fight. Here’s what fighters had to say about O’Malley vs. Munhoz at UFC 276.
Friday 13 a** ending . That sucks …… #UFC276
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) July 3, 2022
That sucks! Can’t wait for the rematch #UFC276
— RobFont (@RobSFont) July 3, 2022
Ugh what a terrible ending to that fight. So bad
— Funky (@Benaskren) July 3, 2022
Unfortunate end to a good fight!!!#UFC276
— Jamahal Hill (@JamahalH) July 3, 2022
I urge every fan who boos an eye poke to take an eye poke, then continue fighting another killer… smh #UFC276
— Casey Oneill (@kingcaseymma) July 3, 2022
shit atleast take the full five fuckin minutes and try to recover. hes wantin a lucky decision aint he? he won round one so he just wanted out real quick i guess
— Bryce Mitchell (@ThugnastyMMA) July 3, 2022
Give O’Malley the title shot lol #UFC276
— Vince Morales (@vandetta135) July 3, 2022
O’Malley showed great composure . Had Pedro fighting his fight, was winning 2-0 with little action IMO #UFC276
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) July 3, 2022
That’s unfortunate for both Suga and Pedro
— Adrian Yanez (@yanezmma) July 3, 2022
Looks like no finger went in the eye to me but I’m not in there. ♂️ RE: Munhoz vs O’Malley.
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) July 3, 2022
He packed it up
— Randy Brown (@TouchNgo_) July 3, 2022
The eye poke didn’t look to bad no #UFC27
— Sergio Pettis (@sergiopettis) July 3, 2022
Looks like Munoz really wanted a way out… #UFC276 pic.twitter.com/T8zx9j6mTn
— The Mane Event™ (@EliasTheodorou) July 3, 2022