Ahead of UFC 276 this weekend at the T-Mobile Arena, bantamweight contender, Sean O’Malley has claimed that he could submit former undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov – maintaining that critiques and spectators would still find something to complain about from him.
Montana native, O’Malley, attempts to land successive victory number four this weekend during International Fight Week – drawing Brazilian veteran and division mainstay, Pedro Munhoz.
Last time out, O’Malley, a product of Dana White’s Contender Series – managed to stop Munhoz’s compatriot, Raulian Paiva with a first round knockout win back in December at UFC 269 in ‘Sin City’.
Sean O’Malley predicts he will become the first to knock out Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276
Ahead of this weekend’s bout with Munhoz, O’Malley maintains he would be the first fighter to knock out the Brazilian in a professional setting, but insists that fans would still complain if he were to hand the now-retired, Khabib a career-first loss.
“I could submit Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and people would be like, ‘Yeah, but,’” Sean O’Malley said during his media availability on Wednesday ahead of UFC 276. “Something. They’d say something.”
“So I pay no attention to what the negative fans say,” Sean O’Malley continued. “It doesn’t matter to me. Yes, I’ll go out there and finish Pedro (Munhoz), and yes, it’ll be like, ‘Yeah, but,’ so it doesn’t matter.”
In the midst of a string of three consecutive knockout victories, O’Malley went further to claim that he can envision himself stopping any potential opponent at bantamweight with strikes.
“Anybody my weight class, I could see me standing across from them and knocking them out,” Sean O’Malley explained. “I’ve done it over and over and over again – it’s hard not to envision that. Everyone I fight, I knock out, so that’s just how I see this fight going. That’s how I see any fight that I’m ever going to be in going, just me putting my hands on their chin enough times, and they’ll fall.” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)