Thomas Almeida believes Sean O’Malley has no credibility entering their bantamweight matchup this weekend at UFC 260 because “Sugar” still considers himself undefeated.
O’Malley, who meets Almeida tomorrow night (Sat., Mar. 27, 2021) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev., is coming off a TKO loss to Marlon Vera in Aug. 2020 that he doesn’t consider a defeat. O’Malley had injured his leg before getting finished by Vera and believes that’s a good enough reason to consider himself perfect inside of the Octagon.
It’s not the most agreeable outlook, but O’Malley is a confident fighter through and through. He’s going to do whatever it takes to put himself in the right mental space entering his clash with Almeida, who doesn’t understand how “Sugar” is not accepting his loss to Vera.
“He says he is still undefeated. What credibility does he have? He can’t even own up to his mistakes, to the bad things he goes through,” Almeida told Ag Fight. “He talks too much, but I think it’s funny, I just laugh. I focus on what I can control. I’m delivering 100%. He can say whatever he wants. When the door closes, it’s just me and him. My mind is bulletproof.”
Almeida, who once possessed the same sort of hype that O’Malley carries, is looking to rebound from his own loss. The former bantamweight contender returned to the Octagon for the first time in nearly three years in Oct. 2020 and ended up losing to Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision. It wasn’t the best representation of Almeida’s skill set so the Brazilian is hoping UFC 260 gives him a better opportunity to prove he’s one of the best 135-pound fighters in the world.
“I’m anxious for this fight. I have a great fight against O’Malley ahead of me.” Almeida continued. “He’s a popular guy, he likes to talk, that’s cool. This hypes up the fight, makes people interested. He’s talented, but I trust my weapons. My mindset is good, I’m happy and I’m coming for him. When I push the pace, I’m sure he won’t handle it. I enjoy a brawl and so do the fans. If the fight stays on the feet, it could be a great show. He’s a showman, too.”
Almeida will be a betting underdog entering his matchup with O’Malley but he has the striking and finishing ability to really give “Sugar” issues. Of course, Almeida will have to elevate his own output to get past O’Malley’s longer reach and mixture of offensive attacks.
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