Sean O’Malley‘s bantamweight title reign was cut short by Merab Dvalishvili last weekend at the Sphere. O’Malley didn’t throw any offense for the most part and finally lost it by a unanimous decision. It was a lackluster performance which shocked many MMA fans. However, ‘Suga’ has come up with a new theory regarding his UFC 306 title fight.
O’Malley initially respected the decision and took the loss like a true sportsman. Instead of giving excuses, O’Malley accepted his mistake and joked about his loss. However, it seems like those days are over, as O’Malley has started making some ridiculous claims. He recently watched the fight and concluded that he won 3-2 after five rounds.
Round 5 I won . I am the champ. God is good. 1,3,5 round I won. Defending belt against Umar in Vegas June/July.
Sean O’Malley via X
O’Malley created his X-Space and ranted for five minutes, talking about how he had won the fight. He urged fans to rewatch the fight without the commentary and bias. ‘Suga’ also called popular Kick streamer Adin Ross, and informed him of the same thing.
O’Malley added that he is undefeated and would defend his belt next year. The change in attitude by the former champion caught the attention of fans who called him out on his lunacy. It appears to be some form of rage bait, which usually happens in MMA spaces.
O’Malley was helpless during the fight and didn’t show any urgency until the very last round. Even O’Malley’s biggest supporter Dana White was convinced that he looked flat during the fight. According to UFC legend Rampage Jackson, O’Malley was scared to fight Merab Dvalishvili. As such, O’Malley’s coach is already looking forward to future bouts with his pupil sidelined.
Sean O’Malley’s coach discusses the future of the bantamweight division
Right after Merab Dvalishvili’s title win, number two contender Umar Nurmagomedov called him out for a title shot. Dvalishvili was never a fan of Nurmagomedov’s meteoric rise and initially showed hesitation over fighting the Dagestani. However, Team Khabib is confident about getting the title shot after their latest interaction with UFC top brass.
Sean O’Malley‘s coach Tim Welch recently talked about this fight and confirmed that Nurmagomedov has the potential to beat Dvalishvili.
Welch has always considered the undefeated Dagestani a problem for the division and is confident about him dominating Dvalishvili’s fighting style.
I think Umar is gonna give that guy some serious f***** issues because Umar is gonna be able to negate where he holds people and cooks the clock and puts his weight on you, Umar is gonna not accept those.
Tim Welch via his YouTube channel
Tim Welch doesn’t think Merab Dvalishvili will be UFC Champ when Sean O’Malley returns:
“Umar’s going to give that guy serious f*cking issues… [I’d rather have] the Merab fight, we need to get that one back. We know that’s a winnable fight.”
(via @TimwelchMT YT) pic.twitter.com/ldCMpt0Xzp
— Full Violence ™ (@Full_Violence) September 19, 2024
Welch mentioned that Sean O’Malley will most probably fight with Umar Nurmagomedov for the title. They would preferably like to take their revenge against Merab Dvalishvili. Nevertheless, this has definitely started an interesting dynamic in the bantamweight division.
