Sean O’Malley, one of the most hyped stars of the UFC, will fight on the main card of UFC 264. The American fighter will face Louis Smolka on July 10th. A relatively unknown fighter, Smolka has had mixed results in the UFC.

The Hawaii native has won three of his five fights in his second stint after being cut from the UFC in 2017 on the back of four losses. However, he was fighting as a flyweight then, and his move up to bantamweight has worked better.

Still only 29, he has a lot of years left in the MMA world, and he is coming off of a win over Jose Alberto Quinonez in his last fight. He won the fight in the second round via TKO, and his performance earned him this fight against O’Malley.

It’s a huge chance for Smolka, who has seen some dark days in his lifetime. After he was cut from the UFC, he revealed that he suffered from a drinking problem that had hindered his MMA career for years. ‘Da Last Samurai’ even contemplated retirement.

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Nevertheless, he has turned it all around and has claimed to be sober since 2018. Now a steady fixture in the bantamweight division, he’ll try to win this fight and stake a claim to be a part of the top 15 in the official UFC rankings at 135 lbs.

Louis Smolka vs. Sean O’Malley by the numbers

Having a subpar record of 17-7, Smolka is a well-rounded fighter who tends to finish his fights early. He has won two fights via decision out of his 17 wins and has never been knocked out before. His most recent losses came via submission, but he possesses some great submission skills of his own, winning 7 fights on the ground.

On the other hand, O’Malley, who has a record of 13-1, relies on his knockout power. He has won 9 fights via knockout and has one win via submission. Given both men’s records, it’s highly unlikely that this fight goes to the judges’ scorecards, and hence, keep your eyes on this one.