Sean O’Malley’s coach admits Khabib’s protege Umar Nurmagomedov is ‘serious problem’

As the UFC bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley is on the radar of all the top contenders in the division. ‘Suga’ is currently scheduled to defend his belt for the second time at UFC 306. On top of it, a list of fighters is already waiting for their turn. Among them, Umar Nurmagomedov is the biggest threat, according to O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch.

Umar Nurmagomedov recently defeated Cory Sandhagen in a much-anticipated fight in Abu Dhabi. Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protege shut down a lot of doubters with his dominant performance. While discussing Umar Nurmagomedov, Tim Welch mentioned that the Dagestani’s all-round skill set could be dangerous for O’Malley. 

Umar Nurmagomedov is a serious problem, I mean he’s a serious problem for anyone. He’s very athletic, all those guys can grapple like freaks, they’re just so freakishly strong, they’re wrestling is so good. And he’s not only just relying on his wrestling, he’s a very good striker too.
Tim Welch via Red Corner MMA 

However, Tim Welch is confident in O’Malley’s speed and reach. According to the top coach, ‘Suga’ is accurate enough to knock out Nurmagomedov anytime. Previously, Welch was perplexed by all of the Umar Nurmagomedov hype and blamed Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, it appears that Welch has finally realized the truth. 

After the win against Sandhagen, Nurmagomedov immediately called out for a title shot. O’Malley quickly accepted it as he wanted to mock Conor McGregor, suggesting he would win against Team Khabib. However, Umar Nurmagomedov thinks O’Malley doesn’t have any chance against him.

Umar Nurmagomedov predicts his fight with Sean O’Malley 

As Sean O’Malley‘s coach mentioned, unlike other Dagestani fighters, Umar Nurmagomedov has incredible striking due to his kickboxing background. UFC legend Daniel Cormier believes Nurmagomedov is a better and complete version of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. 

Sean O’Malley vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (via X)

Umar Nurmagomedov is not a fan of ‘clown’ Sean O’Malley as the bantamweight champion. According to Umar, champions need to set examples for others, and he would be happy to take that position. He is undefeated and has an incredible winning momentum against O’Malley. 

I think I can strike with him, fight however I want. I think I will choose how to finish him. Take him down, choke or submit. Maul him there. 
Umar Nurmagomedov via MMA Junkie