The UFC will close out its 2021 pay-per-views with Montanan Sean O'Malley helping to finish the year.
The Helena native announced on his Instagram account over the weekend that he will be fighting Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 on Dec. 11. The event is expected to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada and will be a bantamweight fight.
The fight will be the third one of the year for O'Malley, one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster. O'Malley (14-1 in MMA, 6-1 in the UFC) is coming off of a third-round TKO victory over Kris Moutinho at UFC 264 back in July, a fight where O'Malley landed 230 significant strikes en route to winning a Fight of the Night bonus from the promotion. O'Malley also earned a third-round knockout win over Thomas Almeida back in March.
O'Malley has been busy over the last two years after having fought three times in 2020 as well.
Paiva (21-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is the No. 15 ranked bantamweight according to the UFC's official rankings. Paiva is riding a three-fight winning streak, most recently defeating Kyler Phillips by unanimous decision back on July 24.
UFC 264, where O'Malley topped Moutinho, was one of the highest selling pay-per-views in UFC history. It reportedly sold around 1.8 million PPV buys, making it the second-highest selling UFC pay-per-view of all time. The event was headlined by a trilogy fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.
O'Malley's addition to UFC 269 adds to what is already a stacked card in the works. The event is expected to be headlined by a lightweight championship fight between Poirier and reigning champion Charles Oliveira, one of three title fights scheduled for the event. A women's bantamweight championship between champion Amanda Nunes and challenger Julianna Pena and a men's flyweight bout between champion Brandon Moreno and challenger Deiveson Figueiredo are also expected to take place at UFC 269.
