"Just pure glazing" - Dana White roasted by fans for awarding Sean O'Malley the UFC Performance of the Year over Sean Strickland

Sean O'Malley has been awarded the UFC Performance of the Year for 2023 following his second-round TKO win over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.

'Sugar' snapped Sterling's nine-fight unbeaten streak to become the new bantamweight champion, and realized his lifelong goal in the process.

But O'Malley's recent award has left fans confused, who took aim at UFC CEO Dana White for not giving the POTY to Sean Strickland for his stunning upset win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.

Strickland's victory has been regarded as one of the biggest upsets in UFC title fight history, as he dominated the former two-time champion for all five rounds en route to a unanimous decision win.

But 'Tarzan' did not do enough to convince White, who said this during a recent video posted to the UFC Instagram page:

"There were a lot of great fights, a lot of great performances. But I had to go with 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley... A lot of people doubted a lot of things about 'Sugar' Sean, who goes in there with Aljamain Sterling... To go in and finish [Sterling] the way he did. I had to give it to him."

Watch the video below:

Fans let their thoughts be known in the comments section, and said this:

"Sean O'Malley is just pure glazing"

"Sean Strickland deserves performance of the year!"

"C'Mon Dana DeSean was the only right answer here"

"Really? O'Malley?"

Screenshots of fan reactions to Dana White awarding O'Malley the POTY

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Sean O'Malley shares his prediction for Sean Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297

Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis are set to headline UFC 297 next weekend.

The pair will lock horns for the middleweight title, and 'Tarzan' is currently a -125 favorite on the betting lines. Despite being an underdog in many of his promotional appearances, Du Plessis has shown time and again that he can surpass expectations.

The South African is coming off of a stunning upset victory over Robert Whittaker, whom he defeated via TKO at UFC 290, and will enter his bout with Strickland full of confidence.

But the champion will be equally sure of himself ahead of fight night, as he recently defeated Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 to win the title.

Sean O'Malley recently shared his thoughts on the UFC 297 main event, and said:

"If Sean Strickland shows up like he did against [Adesanya], I think he beats [Du Plessis]... Five [five minute rounds] against Strickland is a nightmare...I just have a feeling that Strickland gets the job done."

Listen to O'Malley's comments below from 8:45: