UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley thinks he’s worthy of Fighter of the Year but gives the nod to Chael Sonnen after his recent incident in Las Vegas.
Sonnen was detained from a Las Vegas hotel last weekend after allegedly assaulting five different victims. It was later alleged that this was in response to Sonnen’s wife being harassed by a few patrons on the casino floor.
Sonnen has yet to comment publically on the incident, despite allegedly speaking with personalities such as Brendan Schaub. Sonnen was given five battery citations and the investigation is still ongoing.
During a recent podcast episode, O’Malley said Sonnen would jokingly get his vote for Fighter of the Year after the brawl.
“Fighter of the year? If I had to vote from Chael, Kamaru, or me, I’d probably pick Chael,” O’Malley said. “If he won in that hotel scuffle. It was 5 guys.”
Sean O’Malley Touts Chael Sonnen As 2021’s Fighter Of The Year
O’Malley recently stated his claim that he deserves the prestigious award. He’s arguably in the running with top UFC fighters such as Charles Oliveira and Kamaru Usman.
O’Malley notched three wins in 2021. He began the year with a bounceback knockout win over Thomas Almeida after losing to Marlon Vera. O’Malley would then put on striking clinics in finishes over Kris Moutinho and Raulian Paiva.
O’Malley’s star power has risen since his time on Dana White‘s Contender Series, in which he knocked out Alfred Khashakyan.
Sonnen is widely regarded as one of the greatest promoters for the sport of MMA of all time. After an illustrious career in the cage, he transitioned seamlessly to a career in media, hosting multiple programs on ESPN and YouTube.
It’s unclear what exactly led up to Sonnen battering five victims in Las Vegas, but this hasn’t stopped fighters like O’Malley from giving him credit.
What was your reaction to Chael Sonnen’s recent incident?