Tag: Sean O’Malley

Demetrious Johnson Discusses Bantamweight Title Picture After UFC Abu Dhabi: ‘I Can’t Wait To See All Three Of These Guys Lock Horns…’

In the main event of this past weekend’s UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi, a new top bantamweight contender emerged. Umar Nurmagomedov was able to leapfrog the majority of the top ten at 135-pounds by defeating Cory Sandhagen over five rounds. Many have expected for a long time that Nurmagomedov just needed the opportunity to […]

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In the main event of this past weekend’s UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi, a new top bantamweight contender emerged.

Umar Nurmagomedov was able to leapfrog the majority of the top ten at 135-pounds by defeating Cory Sandhagen over five rounds.

Many have expected for a long time that Nurmagomedov just needed the opportunity to show that he was an elite level talent and that finally happened him for on Saturday night.

With Sean O’Malley set to defend the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 306 next month against Merab Dvalishvili, the shadow of a new contender looms overhead and makes for some exciting options.

Demetrious Johnson Says He’s Excited To See Umar Nurmagomedov Face Sean O’Malley & Merab Dvalishvili

In his review of the main event, former UFC and current ONE Championship flyweight king Demetrious Johnson said that he’s excited to see how this division plays out in the coming months.

He was left very impressed by Nurmagomedov’s performance and believes that he should be the next in line to face the winner of the upcoming title fight.

“Mighty Mouse” spoke about how either option of O’Malley or Dvalishvili taking on Nurmagomedov in a title defense makes for an engaging match-up.

Whichever way it ends up unfolding, Johnson is excited to now have another name in the mix at the top end of bantamweight.

“I like him [Nurmagomedov] taking him [O’Malley] to the ground, I don’t think he’ll be able to get Merab down, I’m not sure. But, I think this match-up, whoever wins this one fighting Umar, I think it’s the right thing to do and I can’t wait to see all three of these guys get the opportunity to lock horns each other or one of them fights the other one.”

Read also: Javier Mendez Chooses Between Khabib & Umar Nurmagomedov In Striking, Grappling, Mental Toughness, & Chin

Continue Reading Demetrious Johnson Discusses Bantamweight Title Picture After UFC Abu Dhabi: ‘I Can’t Wait To See All Three Of These Guys Lock Horns…’ at MMA News.

UFC Rankings Report: Belal Muhammad Jumps Sean O’Malley On Pound-For-Pound List

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away. And in the aftermath of UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings. Men’s Pound-For-Pound: A week after entering the P4P […]

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Belal Muhammad Jumps Sean O’Malley On Pound-For-Pound List at MMA News.

As always, the latest action on offer inside the Octagon has seen some climb the ladder toward contention and others fall away.

And in the aftermath of UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov, MMA News has you covered with this week’s updates to the official UFC rankings.

Men’s Pound-For-Pound: A week after entering the P4P rankings at #6, Belal Muhammad has had another boost. The welterweight champion has now moved above his bantamweight counterpart, Sean O’Malley (#6), to occupy the #5 position.

Women’s Pound-for-Pound: Bantamweight queen Raquel Pennington is expected to defend her title for the first time opposite ex-champ Julianna Peña this fall. And the pair now sit on the same step of the pound-for-pound rankings, with “Rocky” joining “The Venezuelan Vixen” to share #5.

Women’s Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern bounced back from a two-fight skid on Saturday, but she’s still fallen further at 115 pounds. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace has dropped one place to #8, with her compatriot Amanda Ribas moving up to #7.

Women’s Flyweight: While on the rise at strawweight, Ribas has taken a hit at 125 pounds, slipping one spot to #10 below Viviane Araújo (#9).

Women’s Bantamweight: At 135 pounds, Miesha Tate and Norma Dumont have both been boosted to #8, leaving a three-way tie for the position with Karol Rosa.

Flyweight: No changes.

Bantamweight: Umar Nurmagomedov secured the biggest win of his young career to date in Abu Dhabi, outpointing the highly ranked Cory Sandhagen across five rounds. As a result, the Dagestani has climbed a mammoth eight places to #2. “The Sandman,” meanwhile has remained in the top five after a one-spot drop to #4.

Also on the rise at 135 pounds is Deiveson Figueiredo (#5), who secured a top-five position with his comfortable victory over former title challenger Marlon Vera this past weekend.

Featherweight: At 145 pounds, Movsar Evloev is down one step to #6, no longer sharing the #5 place with Arnold Allen. Further down, Bryce Mitchell has moved up to share #12 with Diego Lopes.

Lightweight: Despite having his return announced for 170 pounds at UFC 308 later this year, former champ Rafael dos Anjos has received a boost at 155 pounds. He’s climbed to #13, swapping positions with Jalin Turner (#14).

Welterweight: No changes.

Middleweight: No changes.

Light Heavyweight: He’s had to wait a while but Roman Dolidze is finally ranked in two weight classes following his triumph over Anthony Smith at UFC 303. The Georgian has arrived at 205 pounds in the #15 position, three spots below “Lionheart.”

Elsewhere in the division, Azamat Murzakanov is knocking on the door of the top 10 after climbing three spots to #11 courtesy of his knockout win over Alonzo Menifield on August 3.

Heavyweight: No changes.

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here.

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Belal Muhammad Jumps Sean O’Malley On Pound-For-Pound List at MMA News.

Sean O’Malley’s Coach Talks Souring Of Relationship With Conor McGregor: ‘Before Going To The Arena, We’d Put On Conor Highlights…’

Sean O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, recently affirmed that despite their fallout, they still hold Conor McGregor in high regard. For years, McGregor and O’Malley have shared a good rappot with one another. However, recent months have seen this camaraderie deteriorate as the two UFC stars find themselves entangled in a growing feud on social media. […]

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Sean O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, recently affirmed that despite their fallout, they still hold Conor McGregor in high regard.

For years, McGregor and O’Malley have shared a good rappot with one another. However, recent months have seen this camaraderie deteriorate as the two UFC stars find themselves entangled in a growing feud on social media.

It all began in May, when “The Notorious” erupted on social media, launching a tirade against boxer Ryan Garcia after he tested positive for the banned substance ostarine following his victory over Devin Haney.

In the midst of his outburst, McGregor took a swipe at O’Malley, lumping him together with Garcia due to the reigning UFC bantamweight champion’s own positive test for ostarine back in 2019.

There was a time when “Suga” revered and emulated McGregor, even seemingly adopting his flashy persona from the iconic Irishman. However, after “The Notorious” took jabs at him, that admiration seems to have faded. Last month, O’Malley unleashed a scathing critique of his former idol’s fighting skills in a series of blistering social media posts.

However, Welch maintains that regardless of the current discord, he and O’Malley still deeply respect McGregor, recognizing the significant legacy he has left in the realm of MMA…

Welch Finds Friction With McGregor ‘A Little Weird’

During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Welch shared his perspective on the ongoing social media rift between O’Malley and McGregor. The MMA coach revealed that “Suga” used to be McGregor’s biggest admirer, and now witnessing their camaraderie diminish feels surreal to him.

“I mean, we still respect him. Literally, Sean was his number one fan,” Welch said. “Before going to the arena, we’d put on Conor highlights because he’s been in so many high-pressure moments. He’s good at staying calm, he’s good at staying present, and he’s a good finisher. So yeah, we have respect for him, but it’s definitely a little weird.”

Welch further commented on the hypothetical matchup with “The Notorious” that O’Malley had previously mentioned, stating that it would be a formidable challenge for his protégé.

“The only way it’d be possible is if they fought at 155 pounds, and I mean, that’s a scary fight. Conor is huge, he’s explosive, he’s quick, and he’s got good reaction time. But right now, Sean is in his prime. His confidence is so high, he switches stances, and his fight IQ is so high. So to say there’s no way we’d win that fight is stupid. There are definitely ways we could win it, but obviously, it’s a dangerous fight. He’s huge for Sean.”

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley’s Coach Talks Souring Of Relationship With Conor McGregor: ‘Before Going To The Arena, We’d Put On Conor Highlights…’ at MMA News.

UFC Commentator Heaps Praise On Umar Nurmagomedov: ‘He’ll Be Favorite Against Sean Or Merab’

The biggest fight of Umar Nurmagomedov’s career led to his most impressive performance to date in the main event this past weekend. There’s been hype surrounding him for a long time now but in an opponent like Cory Sandhagen, he was facing his most skilled, dangerous, and experienced opponent. Nurmagomedov got his hand raised at […]

Continue Reading UFC Commentator Heaps Praise On Umar Nurmagomedov: ‘He’ll Be Favorite Against Sean Or Merab’ at MMA News.

The biggest fight of Umar Nurmagomedov’s career led to his most impressive performance to date in the main event this past weekend.

There’s been hype surrounding him for a long time now but in an opponent like Cory Sandhagen, he was facing his most skilled, dangerous, and experienced opponent.

Nurmagomedov got his hand raised at the end of five rounds in Abu Dhabi and could have leapfrogged the rest of the division with this win.

He may have been holding the #11-ranking in the division but the writing has been on the wall for some time now in terms of his ranking not reflecting his ability.

UFC commentator Jon Anik believes that even with Sandhagen being his first big win, he would expect Nurmagomedov to be a betting favorite over the two men that are set to fight over the bantamweight title next month.

Jon Anik Believes That Umar Nurmagomedov Will Be A Betting Favorite When He Fights For The Title

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Anik was asked about Nurmagomedov’s win and who he thinks he will end up fighting for the bantamweight title which is set to be contested between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, in September.

The UFC commentator didn’t pick a winner in that fight for obvious reasons, but he did say that Nurmagomedov could be the oddsmakers pick in either match-up.

He started by complimenting the undefeated contender both for his skills inside the Octagon and his conduct outside of it.

“Umar is like one of the most impressive human beings, fighters, that I’ve met in any walk of life. His ability to connect with people in English already is insane relative to what it was like 24 months ago and he’s always banging on himself in terms of his ability to speak English. He’s fantastic. He’ll be favored against Sean or Merab, I feel pretty convicted in saying that. I just don’t think a lot of guys would be able to dominate Cory Sandhagen in that way. With respect to Cory, and my kids distracting me, I gave Umar all five rounds so impressed doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

Judge Mike Bell agreed with Anik’s viewpoint, awarding all five rounds to Nurmagomedov on the scorecards whilst Ben Cartlidge and David Lethaby both gave Sandhagen one of the five.

Read also: VIDEO: UFC Champ Sean O’Malley Reacts To ‘Close Fight’ Between Umar Nurmagomedov & Cory Sandhagen

Continue Reading UFC Commentator Heaps Praise On Umar Nurmagomedov: ‘He’ll Be Favorite Against Sean Or Merab’ at MMA News.

VIDEO: UFC Champ Sean O’Malley Reacts To ‘Close Fight’ Between Umar Nurmagomedov & Cory Sandhagen

UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley paid close attention as a key matchup in his division went down in Abu Dhabi this past weekend. In what was widely branded a title eliminator, top-five contender Cory Sandhagen and undefeated up-and-comer Umar Nurmagomedov collided in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event. While “The Sandman” was looking to record […]

Continue Reading VIDEO: UFC Champ Sean O’Malley Reacts To ‘Close Fight’ Between Umar Nurmagomedov & Cory Sandhagen at MMA News.

UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley paid close attention as a key matchup in his division went down in Abu Dhabi this past weekend.

In what was widely branded a title eliminator, top-five contender Cory Sandhagen and undefeated up-and-comer Umar Nurmagomedov collided in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event.

While “The Sandman” was looking to record his fourth straight headline win en route to a second shot at gold, his Dagestani counterpart was hoping to secure his first championship opportunity with his record’s 0 in tact.

It was ultimately the latter who succeeded, securing three convincing scorecards in his favor after five competitive rounds of action in the Middle East.

O’Malley Praises Nurmagomedov For Beating ‘One Of The Pound-For-Pound Best’ In Sandhagen

In a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, O’Malley reacted live to the five-round headliner between Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov.

“Cory’s a f*cking serial killer. … Here we go,” O’Malley said. “Great job by Cory defensively. … I forget Umar is a striker. … Another close round. I’m almost giving these to Umar just ’cause of the takedowns. It’s hard when they’re both so f*cking high level for someone to take control of the fight. … Every time Cory comes forward, Umar’s countering hard.”

While summarizing the “close” fight, O’Malley praised both men for their efforts and branded their contest “as high level” as possible.

“Alright, boys, Umar got the job done. Pretty close fight, in my opinion,” O’Malley said. “Cory is, in my opinion, one of the pound-for-pound best guys in the world. For Umar to be ranked #10, a lot of guys didn’t want to fight him…no one in the UFC wanted to fight this guy.

“Incredible performance, by both guys really,” O’Malley continued. “Cory did a really good job shutting down Umar’s offensive takedowns and wrestling. Striking was pretty close; Umar looked like he landed harder shots. Overall, that’s as high level of a fight as it gets.”

Following the decision going in favor of Nurmagomedov, O’Malley reacted as the Dagestani called to fight the winner of his upcoming Sphere showdown with Merab Dvalishvili.

“Me versus Umar next? … Undefeated Umar, 18-0, versus undefeated ‘Sugar Show,’ 19-0. Beat a Dagestani, I wouldn’t mind that. That would be a real good way to get at Conor (McGregor). Imagine how jealous he would be. I might go whoop Umar just for that reason alone.”

Nurmagomedov wasn’t the only victorious fighter with O’Malley’s name on his lips post-fight in Abu Dhabi. Former two-time flyweight kingpin Deiveson Figueiredo also called for a shot at “Sugar” following his win over Marlon Vera.

The champ had an expected reaction to that callout…

Continue Reading VIDEO: UFC Champ Sean O’Malley Reacts To ‘Close Fight’ Between Umar Nurmagomedov & Cory Sandhagen at MMA News.

Sean O’Malley Dismisses Deiveson Figueiredo’s Win Over Marlon Vera: ‘I’d KO That Little Twat’

Sean O'Malley, Deiveson FigueiredoUFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is confident he’d make quick work of Deiveson Figueiredo inside the Octagon. Figueiredo defeated…

Sean O'Malley, Deiveson Figueiredo

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is confident he’d make quick work of Deiveson Figueiredo inside the Octagon.

Figueiredo defeated former UFC title challenger Marlon Vera at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday by unanimous decision. His resurgence at bantamweight continued this weekend as he moved one step closer to a potential title shot.

O’Malley will face the surging Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 next month but is still keeping a keen eye on the rest of the bantamweight division. This includes Figueiredo, who dismantled O’Malley’s most recent title challenger over three rounds.

Despite the impressive nature of Figueiredo’s performance, O’Malley wasn’t taken aback by anything that Figueiredo showed against his former two-time rival.

Sean O’Malley Blasts ‘Little Twat’ Deiveson Figueiredo

In a recent tweet, O’Malley gave a less-than-glowing review of Figueiredo’s performance.

“I’d KO that little twat,” O’Malley tweeted.

As of this writing, Figueiredo hasn’t responded to O’Malley’s recent tweet. He called for a title shot against the O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili winner during his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier.

Figueiredo has won three consecutive fights since making the full-time move from flyweight to bantamweight last year. A tetralogy loss to Brandon Moreno at UFC 283 preceded recent wins over Cody Garbrandt and Rob Font.

O’Malley, one of the UFC’s top pound-for-pound fighters, will look to successfully defend his belt for the second time at UFC 306. He’ll headline the UFC’s one-off event at the Las Vegas Sphere, in the first major sporting event held at the venue.

Figueiredo is looking to reclaim a UFC belt for the first time since a win over Moreno at UFC 270. Before losing the series against Moreno, Figueiredo seemed destined to be a potential long-term champion in the UFC flyweight division.

O’Malley remains laser-focused on his upcoming challenge against Dvalishvili; winner of 10 straight fights. But, many intriguing challengers including Figueiredo are waiting in the wings for a shot against the UFC titleholder.