Sean O'Malley defeated Aljamain Sterling on Saturday night by a second-round TKO finish.
The sportsbooks were in almost as much pain as Sterling was by the end of the night.
"Suga" Sean was a +200 underdog heading into the fight after opening at +220.
The public and handle were both backing O'Malley to earn his first championship belt in the UFC. O'Malley was getting 89% of the bets and accounted for 77% of the handle at BetMGM.
And at FanDuel, about 139,000 unique bettors won on a boost they provided at +150 odds for O'Malley to win by TKO or KO.
O'Malley is a fan favorite throughout casual and sharp MMA circles, enamored by his knockout prowess and spindly frame.
With the win, O'Malley now holds the belt in the bantamweight division as the current champion.
After the win, O'Malley added that he pulled off the massive victory despite dealing with a muscle strain near his ribs.
“Dude, I haven’t grappled in six weeks,” O’Malley revealed. “I had a muscle strain and I literally couldn’t grapple in six weeks. Couldn’t MMA spar. I was the main event in Boston, there was no shot I was pulling out. But we haven’t grappled in six weeks. Six weeks from today I had a muscle strain right under my rib and I couldn’t grapple.”
He is now 9-1 since entering the UFC through Dana White's Contender Series.
