Alexandre Pantoja and Sean O’Malley are the flyweight and bantamweight champions of the UFC respectively. Even though they have their divisions to worry about, Pantoja has consistently angled for a fight with O’Malley. The reason is a past sparring session when they were not champions in the premier MMA promotion.
Pantoja has clamored for O’Malley to release the footage of the sparring session, claiming he got the better of Suga. However, O’Malley refuted those claims. Now, days before Pantoja looks to defend the flyweight title against Steve Erceg at UFC 301, O’Malley has provided a glimpse of what happened and looked worrying for the flyweight champion.
In the screenshot of the video released by O’Malley, Pantoja looked hurt by an apparent body shot from Suga. From the appearance of O’Malley, it was evident the sparring happened early in his career as Suga did not have pink and green hair. Nevertheless, the chances of a fight between the two happening anytime soon are slim.
O’Malley has a plethora of contenders waiting. On the other hand, Pantoja has already defeated many top 10 contenders at flyweight. Merab Dvalishvili is presumably next for O’Malley. Moreover, Umar Nurmagomedov, Cory Sandhagen, and others are waiting in the wings. For Pantoja, Muhammad Mokaev, and Manel Kape are potential opponents, if victorious against Erceg.
Sean O’Malley’s coach speaks on the sparring controversy
Sean O’Malley and his coach, Tim Welch, are extremely close and are privy to each other’s personal lives. After all, O’Malley recently gifted a Rolex to his coach, weeks after Adin Ross gifted a lowrider to Suga. As such, Welch revealed what he knew about the sparring session between O’Malley and Alexandre Panjota.
Sean O’Malley with coach Tim Welch (Image via: Instagram)Welch did not fully remember what happened as he and O’Malley were high the previous night. He remembered Henry Cejudo and his team of Ultimate Fighters coming into the MMA Lab to spar. Upon Cejudo’s insistence, Pantoja sparred O’Malley which Welch fondly remembered.
Sean [O’Malley] comes out there bouncing around like a young buck. Boom, hits him with the a liver shot, puts him down. [Alexandre] Pantoja] had to wave it off, has to go over to Henry [Cejudo], kneel down, call it off.
Tim Welch via YouTube
Alexandre Pantoja has a durable chin and it was difficult for many to believe O’Malley knocked out “The Cannibal”, even though Suga possesses one-punch KO power. Since the release of the alleged TKO occurred via body shot image, O’Malley’s side of the story looks more believable.
There is also the possibility of Pantoja recovering from the body shot, fighting O’Malley, and getting the better of the now UFC bantamweight champion. However, that now seems like a long shot. Nevertheless, it has laid a foundation for a potential champion vs. champion matchup in the UFC.
!
