UFC bantamweight Mario Bautista recently scored an unexpected win against MMA legend Jose Aldo. The win caught the anger of the MMA community as Bautista just clinched up against the cage and couldn’t land a single takedown. A friend and former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley celebrated Bautista’s win. His claims backtrack whatever he said after losing to Merab Dvalishvili.
Sean O’Malley claimed to have defeated Merab Dvalishvili based on damage at UFC 306. He argued that damage was greater than control. However, his praise for Bautista using a cautious, control-focused strategy like Dvalishvili’s wrestling-heavy plan might not sit well with fans. As such, he claimed that Bautista did more damage than Jose Aldo in the UFC 307 fight.
I thought Mario won based on damage. I felt like he landed the bigger shots. I could be so biased, it’s hard for me to judge… I thought it was a fun fight.
Sean O’Malley via his official YouTube channel
The statement from O’Malley contradicts his claims on how he won against Dvalishvili. The Georgian fighter clearly outstriked ‘Suga.’ Meanwhile, all that Bautista did was control Aldo against the cage. The Brazilian landed the more damaging strikes in the fight. However, O’Malley claimed his friend did more damage, which comes off as hypocritical from his earlier statements on damage vs. control.
O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, defended his stance and emphasized that fighters sometimes need to prioritize winning over entertaining fans. Despite the criticism, Welch stood by his support for Bautista’s tactics. The Glendale native secured a split-decision victory over Jose Aldo at UFC 307. The crowd grew frustrated, especially in the later rounds, as Bautista clinched repeatedly.
Mario Bautista later argued that his grappling-heavy fight against Aldo was not entirely his fault. Bautista acknowledged that he switched to grappling after being rocked by Aldo in the second round. But Aldo also contributed to the lackluster showdown by choosing not to disengage. He compared this to Aldo’s earlier fight with Merab Dvalishvili, where Aldo did the same thing.
Sean O’Malley lists out who is next for teammate Mario Bautista after UFC 307 win
Mario Bautista and Sean O’Malley have a long-standing relationship. The two bantamweights have trained together for over a decade. Both began their journeys in MMA around the same time, joining the same gym in Arizona when they were amateurs. Since then, they have been teammates, sparring partners, and friends.
Bautista has praised O’Malley for his loyalty and support. He noted that despite O’Malley’s rise to UFC bantamweight champion, he has remained a generous and helpful teammate. In the latest episode of the TimboSugarShow, O’Malley decided who is next for the rising bantamweight.
Aldo is ranked what, tenth? Well I mean who is… because Kyler [Phillips]’s fighting Rob Font, Peter [Yan]’s fighting Figgy [Deiveson Figueiredo], Merab’s fighting Umar. Who else is… Is Dominick Cruz still up there? Marcus [McGhee]’s fighting Jonathan Martinez. Bantamweight division’s so sick dude!
Sean O’Malley via his official YouTube channel
Bautista has been working his way up the rankings for a while now. With a seven-fight winning streak and a #9 ranking after UFC 307, it will be interesting to see who he fights next. Team O’Malley has not yet discussed what would happen if Bautista and O’Malley face off in the future for title contention. But Bautista has acknowledged that it might be a challenging conversation if the time comes.
