UFC 306 (Noche UFC) proved one thing โ Sean OโMalley struggles against high-level grapplers. Merab Dvalishvili pretty much did what he wanted from the first to the fourth round. There were no mad scrambles or outstanding takedown defense at play. The title loss also hampered the hopes of OโMalley to rise to the level of Conor McGregor. However, it was not the only thing that got hampered. ย
Being the top superstar is not the only thing OโMalley is concerned about. He wants to surpass his hero, Conor McGregor, everywhere. This includes getting a win over the Russian rivals. McGregor lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. Although โSugaโ cannot fight Khabib, he has an undefeated cousin in the same division. At one point or the other, Umar Nurmagomedov and OโMalley might clash against one another.
The fight can still happen despite OโMalley losing the bantamweight title at UFC 306. However, that is not the pressing matter. The performance of Suga left much to be desired. What would happen if OโMalley fought Team Khabibโs Umar Nurmagomedov now? The answer is not so difficult as the fight would play out exactly as โSugaโ vs. โMachineโ at UFC 306.
Irish vs. Dagestan is important to Sean OโMalley and Conor McGregor
The Irish and the Russians have a complicated relationship in the UFC. More specifically, the ones with Irish ancestry and the Dagestanis in Russia. McGregor and Khabib did not have a rematch. As such, the score is 1-0 in favor of Dagestan. OโMalley has a strained relationship with McGregor now. As such, he had plans to make his โheroโ jealous by accomplishing one important task.
A victory over Umar Nurmagomedov would instantly make Sean OโMalley a legend. The Dagestani fighters are well-regarded. As such, a win would give โSugaโ one thing โNotoriousโ always wanted โ A win over Team Khabib. It would have given him bragging rights over McGregor. It will also give OโMalley an edge over McGregor in terms of overall record and accolades.
UFC 306 showed how Sean OโMalley vs. Umar Nurmagomedov would play out
During his rise, the takedown defense of Sean OโMalley remained on everyoneโs mind. It was very poor against a striker like Petr Yan. Surprisingly, it stood well against Aljamain Sterling. Later, the truth came to light that Sterling was injured heading into UFC 292. Moreover, the UFC coerced Sterling into taking the bout sooner than he wanted. A compromised Sterling suffered and became a lucky opponent for โSuga.โ
The outcome of Sterling fight would have changed if the โFunk Masterโ fought at 100 percent. However, it gave a notion of OโMalley having great takedown defense. In fact, Suga and his coach, Tim Welch, trolled Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo for getting taken down by Merab Dvalishvili. Everyone felt OโMalley had the required defense to stuff any takedowns. It was further from the truth.
Merab Dvalishvili took Suga down six times from 15 attempts. The takedown defense is above 50 percent, but OโMalley could not bring the fight back onto the feet. On the ground, he was pretty much helpless and struggled to get the Georgian fighter off of him. He displayed no technique nor scrambled to counter the situation. These are two important techniques for countering MMA grappling experts.
Dvalishvili does not pose any submission threat. He is not that experienced in that area. At least, thatโs what his records say. However, Umar Nurmagomedov is a different story. He has seven career submission wins in his career. As such, there is more than a definite possibility of Suga vs. โYoung Eagleโ ending like Khabib vs. McGregor. Thereby, it puts OโMalleyโs desire to one-up his once โhero and idolโ, Conor McGregor, in big jeopardy.
Can Suga upset the odds and defeat Umar Nurmagomedov?
Everybody has a puncherโs chance in any fight. Despite performing poorly at UFC 306, OโMalley could improve. Nevertheless, there is a possibility of Suga upsetting Umar Nurmagomedov. The potential fight should play out exactly as what happened between Umar and Cory Sandhagen.
Umar stayed on his feet and engaged with Sandhagen rather than shooting for a takedown. It is worth noting that, going by history, Sandhagen has better takedown defense than OโMalley.
Dvalishvili needed takedowns to defeat OโMalley. However, Umar believes in his diverse skill set to compete with Suga on the feet. It would give OโMalley more of a chance to set up his combinations, use his footwork, and hurt the โYoung Eagle.โ This is the only possible way he could win. The chances will increase further if OโMalley can improve his grappling defense massively. Until then, it is slim.