Tag: Sean O’Malley

T.J. Dillashaw Shocked by How ‘Weak’ Sean O’Malley Looked Against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306: ‘I Didn’t Expect It’

T.J. Dillashaw Shocked by How 'Weak' Sean O'Malley Looked Against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306: 'I Didn't Expect It'T.J. Dillashaw was impressed with Merab Dvalishvili’s performance at UFC 306. ‘The Machine’ cashed in on his first shot…

T.J. Dillashaw Shocked by How 'Weak' Sean O'Malley Looked Against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306: 'I Didn't Expect It'

T.J. Dillashaw was impressed with Merab Dvalishvili’s performance at UFC 306.

‘The Machine’ cashed in on his first shot at UFC gold, delivering a dominant five-round performance against ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley to claim the bantamweight division’s top prize.

Merab Dvalishvili

Going into the bout, the odds were fairly close with O’Malley being slightly favored to come out on top. Instead, Dvalishvili shut down the ex-champ’s offense with a barrage of smothering takedown attempts and control time. Most educated fight fans knew that Dvalishvili’s contrasting style could win the day against O’Malley, but not many expected him to be as dominant as he was.

Merab Dvalishvili

That includes Dillashaw who was surprised by how easy Dvalishvili made it all look.

“It’s not that I didn’t expect it,” Dillashaw said on the JAXXON Podcast. “I knew that it was very close on the betting odds and when I had to go and pick this fight, I knew that Merab had a chance to just pressure the f*ck out of him. The guy is the Tasmanian Devil. He never stops and continues to shoot shots.

“I knew it was a possibility, but I thought – especially after watching how O’Malley has composed himself and how well he’s done on his feet using his feints, distance, and angles – I thought he’d be able to keep that distance and control, be hard to take down and spark him. That’s what I thought could happen, as well.

“I didn’t think it was going to be this easy for Merab. Merab made him look weak – very weak” (h/t BJPenn.com).

Merab Dvalishvili Eyes title fight with Umar Nurmagomedov… maybe

What comes next for Merab Dvalishvili remains to be seen, but all signs point toward ‘The Machine’ defending his title against No. 2 ranked contender Umar Nurmagomedov — assuming the Dagestani star doesn’t grow impatient and move onto another opponent in the interim.

Truth be told, Dvalishvili isn’t even all that interested in facing Nurmagomedov considering his lack of top 15 wins, though that’s not entirely Nurmagomedov’s fault. The undefeated fighter has struggled for years to lock in opponents, but a dominant decision victory over Cory Sandhagen appears to have been enough to score him his first title shot.

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John McCarthy: Merab Dvalishvili Could Have Lost Points For ‘Unsportsmanlike Conduct’ At UFC 306

According to former referee John McCarthy, Herb Dean would have been well within his rights to penalize UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili for his actions against Sean O’Malley. Dvalishvili secured his long-awaited crowning moment on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage at this month’s UFC 306 (Noche UFC) pay-per-view. The Georgian topped the lineup, staged inside […]

Continue Reading John McCarthy: Merab Dvalishvili Could Have Lost Points For ‘Unsportsmanlike Conduct’ At UFC 306 at MMA News.

According to former referee John McCarthy, Herb Dean would have been well within his rights to penalize UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili for his actions against Sean O’Malley.

Dvalishvili secured his long-awaited crowning moment on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage at this month’s UFC 306 (Noche UFC) pay-per-view. The Georgian topped the lineup, staged inside the unique surroundings of the Sphere, in competition for O’Malley’s title.

While “Suga” was able to find the fight-ending blow against Dvalishvili’s friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling last year to capture the gold, that wasn’t the case on September 14.

Instead, “The Machine” used his renowned gas tank and grappling abilities to earn the nod on all three scorecards. But while there was little debate over the decision, there’s been plenty of discussion surrounding other aspects of the fight.

In addition to a verbal altercation between Dvalishvili and O’Malley’s coach in the opening moments of round one, the second stanza came to a close with controversy after the Georgian used his dominant position to repeatedly kiss the champ’s back.

The moment almost ended in disaster for Dvalishvili, who took the referee’s calls to stop as the end of the round and turned his back on O’Malley with seconds remaining, leading to him eating a strike.

But according to McCarthy, Dvalishvili would have faced further consequences had he been officiating the UFC 306 main event…

McCarthy Recalls Docking Fighter 2 Points For Kissing Opponent In Light Of UFC 306 Moment

During a recent episode of his Weighing In podcast alongside former Strikeforce and UFC fighter Josh Thomson, McCarthy looked back on how Dean officiated the September 14 main event in Las Vegas.

On the topic of Dvalishvili’s back kisses toward the end of round two, McCarthy recalled how he dealt with a similar situation during his days as an active referee.

“I’ve been in this position where I had a fighter kiss another fighter. You look and you go…’What the f*ck did you just do?’ It takes you a second to realize, ‘You just f*cking kissed him!’ Then it’s a matter of how you are going to deal with it,” McCarthy said. “I took two points from him. You want to do something that is absolutely not part of our sport, nobody asked you to do it, nobody wants you to do it, and you want to be cute? Congratulations, you better go finish the fight now. I can disqualify you if I want.

“When that happened, Herb was caught off guard, let’s just be honest,” McCarthy continued. “He should have either made a decisive, ‘Stop! Time, you get over there, you get over there,’ and do something about what just occurred. If he wants to give him a hard warning over it, that’s fine. If he wants to take points, take points for unsportsmanlike conduct, that’s fine. But he got caught in the middle of it.”

O’Malley and his coach, Tim Welch, have since given their own verdict on the moment, suggesting that had the referee kept completely out of the way, “Suga” could have launched a potentially fight-ending head kick from behind.

Alas, that wasn’t to be, and Dvalishvili instead ground out a convincing victory on the scorecards. But with some referees evidently favoring stern punishment for his actions inside the Sphere, perhaps he’ll be a little less keen to place his lips on his next opponent.

Continue Reading John McCarthy: Merab Dvalishvili Could Have Lost Points For ‘Unsportsmanlike Conduct’ At UFC 306 at MMA News.

Jon Anik Outlines ‘Silver Lining’ For The UFC After Sean O’Malley’s Title Loss

Play-by-play commentator Jon Anik thinks one recent revelation may have boosted the UFC’s spirits following the unseating of Sean O’Malley from the bantamweight throne. O’Malley’s reign came to an emphatic halt at the hands of Merab Dvalishvili earlier this month when the pair headlined the UFC 306 (Noche UFC) pay-per-view event inside the Sphere. The […]

Continue Reading Jon Anik Outlines ‘Silver Lining’ For The UFC After Sean O’Malley’s Title Loss at MMA News.

Play-by-play commentator Jon Anik thinks one recent revelation may have boosted the UFC’s spirits following the unseating of Sean O’Malley from the bantamweight throne.

O’Malley’s reign came to an emphatic halt at the hands of Merab Dvalishvili earlier this month when the pair headlined the UFC 306 (Noche UFC) pay-per-view event inside the Sphere.

The Georgian challenger closed out the Mexican Independence Day celebration by utilizing his renowned cardio and grappling prowess en route to a convincing unanimous decision triumph over “Suga.”

That result saw O’Malley’s divisional rule end in his second defense, six months on from his first opposite Marlon “Chito” Vera in Miami. In the eyes of some, “The Machine” played spoiler for the UFC’s plan to ascend O’Malley to superstar status.

Anik, however, has explained why the organization may not be as down on the Montana native’s loss as many would expect…

Anik: UFC Avoided Possible Interim Title Scenario With O’Malley Defeat

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, Anik reflected on the UFC’s debut event inside the Sphere on September 14, paying particular attention to the result that closed out the show.

Anik appeared to acknowledge that Dvalishvili’s win was perhaps not the outcome favored by the promotion at the time. But with the revelation regarding “Suga’s” injury — a torn labrum that requires surgery — the commentator suggested that the title changing hands could be a blessing in disguise for the UFC.

“I think the good news if you’re looking for a silver lining for the UFC is that had Sean won this fight, maybe this hip injury would have had to be repaired anyway, right?” Anik said. “And then you wonder if you need an interim champion. So I think right now, your new champion is pretty durable and willing to take on all challengers.

“And a murderers’ row, of course, awaits Sean O’Malley with the Cory Sandhagens of all the world and everybody else,” Anik continued. “There are a lot of dream-type matchups at ’35 for fight fans, right? Even Sean O’Malley and Dominick Cruz makes some semblance of sense right now. So there’s a lot of different fights at ’35 that make a lot of sense.”

It remains to be seen when O’Malley will have his chance to bounce back inside the cage, with the former champ himself giving timelines ranging from eight months to a full one-year layoff.

But throughout his stint on the sidelines, it would appear that fans are set to see plenty more social media posts claiming victory over Dvalishvili — and alongside that, plenty of X community notes…

Continue Reading Jon Anik Outlines ‘Silver Lining’ For The UFC After Sean O’Malley’s Title Loss at MMA News.

Henry Cejudo Snaps Back at ‘World’s Biggest Cuck’ Sean O’Malley After ‘Bronze Medalist’ Dig

Henry Cejudo snaps back at 'world's biggest cuck' Sean O'Malley after 'bronze medalist' digHenry Cejudo didn’t take kindly to Sean O’Malley downplaying one of the biggest accomplishments of his athletic career. Nowadays,…

Henry Cejudo snaps back at 'world's biggest cuck' Sean O'Malley after 'bronze medalist' dig

Henry Cejudo didn’t take kindly to Sean O’Malley downplaying one of the biggest accomplishments of his athletic career.

Nowadays, Cejudo may be known by MMA fans as the ‘King of Cringe,’ but at one time, he was well-respected in the community as not just a former two-division UFC world champion, but as an Olympic gold medalist. ‘Triple C’ topped the podium at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing while competing in the 55kg freestyle wrestling division. At the time, he was the youngest American to win a gold medal in wrestling history.

Henry Cejudo

In a clip on his YouTube channel, O’Malley was trying hard to convince anyone willing to listen that he should have won his UFC 306 clash against Merab Dvalishvili. While making his case, O’Malley claims to have stuffed more takedowns against ‘The Machine’ than Cejudo did during his fight with the Georgian earlier this year and described ‘Triple C’ as a guy who was a “bronze medalist back in ’08 or whatever.”

Henry Cejudo goes after ‘Sugar’ in heated response

It didn’t take long for Cejudo to get wind of O’Malley’s remark and snap back at the former bantamweight king on social media.

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“The only thing you ever won the gold in is being the worlds biggest Cuck,” Cejudo wrote in response to O’Malley on X. “You are so in denial you should move to Egypt. They should take some of Diddy’s baby oil and put it on your dry vagina.”

Could all this be leading to a potential showdown between Cejudo and O’Malley? Perhaps, but ‘Triple C’ will wait a while if that’s his angle.

Henry Cejudo

Following the decisive decision loss to Dvalishvili at Sphere in Las Vegas, ‘Sugar’ revealed that he suffered a torn labrum 10 weeks ahead of the fight. On October 3, O’Malley will undergo surgery to repair the issue and is expected to be on the shelf for the next 6-8 months.

After retiring as a two-division champion in 2020, Cejudo returned to action in May 2023 for a clash with then-bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288. ‘Triple C’ came up short, losing on two of the three judge’s scorecards.

He followed up that loss with a much more decisive defeat at the hands of new 135-pound champion Merab Dvalishvili nine months later.

Henry Cejudo

Henry Cejudo Snaps Back at ‘World’s Biggest Cuck’ Sean O’Malley After ‘Bronze Medalist’ Dig

Henry Cejudo snaps back at 'world's biggest cuck' Sean O'Malley after 'bronze medalist' digHenry Cejudo didn’t take kindly to Sean O’Malley downplaying one of the biggest accomplishments of his athletic career. Nowadays,…

Henry Cejudo snaps back at 'world's biggest cuck' Sean O'Malley after 'bronze medalist' dig

Henry Cejudo didn’t take kindly to Sean O’Malley downplaying one of the biggest accomplishments of his athletic career.

Nowadays, Cejudo may be known by MMA fans as the ‘King of Cringe,’ but at one time, he was well-respected in the community as not just a former two-division UFC world champion, but as an Olympic gold medalist. ‘Triple C’ topped the podium at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing while competing in the 55kg freestyle wrestling division. At the time, he was the youngest American to win a gold medal in wrestling history.

Henry Cejudo

In a clip on his YouTube channel, O’Malley was trying hard to convince anyone willing to listen that he should have won his UFC 306 clash against Merab Dvalishvili. While making his case, O’Malley claims to have stuffed more takedowns against ‘The Machine’ than Cejudo did during his fight with the Georgian earlier this year and described ‘Triple C’ as a guy who was a “bronze medalist back in ’08 or whatever.”

Henry Cejudo goes after ‘Sugar’ in heated response

It didn’t take long for Cejudo to get wind of O’Malley’s remark and snap back at the former bantamweight king on social media.

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“The only thing you ever won the gold in is being the worlds biggest Cuck,” Cejudo wrote in response to O’Malley on X. “You are so in denial you should move to Egypt. They should take some of Diddy’s baby oil and put it on your dry vagina.”

Could all this be leading to a potential showdown between Cejudo and O’Malley? Perhaps, but ‘Triple C’ will wait a while if that’s his angle.

Henry Cejudo

Following the decisive decision loss to Dvalishvili at Sphere in Las Vegas, ‘Sugar’ revealed that he suffered a torn labrum 10 weeks ahead of the fight. On October 3, O’Malley will undergo surgery to repair the issue and is expected to be on the shelf for the next 6-8 months.

After retiring as a two-division champion in 2020, Cejudo returned to action in May 2023 for a clash with then-bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288. ‘Triple C’ came up short, losing on two of the three judge’s scorecards.

He followed up that loss with a much more decisive defeat at the hands of new 135-pound champion Merab Dvalishvili nine months later.

Henry Cejudo

UFC Middleweight Josh Fremd Feels Merab Dvalishvili Didn’t ‘Beat’ Beat Champion Sean O’Malley [Exclusive]

Josh Fremd recently voiced his opinion that Merab Dvalishvili didn’t definitively defeat Sean O’Malley at Noche UFC 306. Dvalishvili outclassed O’Malley with superior striking and dominant grappling, resoundingly securing the UFC bantamweight title via unanimous decision last weekend at the Las Vegas Sphere. “The Machine” racked up six takedowns over the course of the 25-minute […]

Continue Reading UFC Middleweight Josh Fremd Feels Merab Dvalishvili Didn’t ‘Beat’ Beat Champion Sean O’Malley [Exclusive] at MMA News.

Josh Fremd recently voiced his opinion that Merab Dvalishvili didn’t definitively defeat Sean O’Malley at Noche UFC 306.

Dvalishvili outclassed O’Malley with superior striking and dominant grappling, resoundingly securing the UFC bantamweight title via unanimous decision last weekend at the Las Vegas Sphere.

“The Machine” racked up six takedowns over the course of the 25-minute bout. He dominated large portions of the fight on the ground, effortlessly nullifying his opponent’s power striking.

“Suga” endured the most one-sided loss of his career, yet he has since contested the judges’ scorecards. In a series of posts on X, he argued that he should have been awarded the decision, claiming to have won rounds one, three, and five.

Fremd echoed O’Malley’s sentiments, questioning whether Dvalishvili truly deserved the victory…

Fremd After Reviewing O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili: ‘It Depends On What The Judges Were Looking For’

During a recent interview with MMA News’ Ryan Jarrell, Fremd shared his thoughts on the O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili title fight. The UFC middleweight prospect revealed that after rewatching the bout, he felt “Suga” didn’t showcase his full potential, and Dvalishvili’s victory wasn’t as decisive as it seemed.

Fremd also voiced concerns about the judges’ scorecards, suggesting they may not have accurately reflected the matchup.

“I thought it looked like O’Malley had an off night,” Fremd said. “After watching it again without commentary or anything like that, I don’t know. I feel like you have to beat, beat the champion, and I don’t know… after rewatching it, in the moment, it definitely seemed like Merab won with his wrestling, grappling, and dominance. But when you go back and look at it, I don’t know… it depends on what the judges were looking for and how exactly they scored it. But congrats to Merab, that was an amazing performance.”

The 30-year-old Colorado native further discussed whether “Suga” deserves an immediate rematch upon his return or if he should face another opponent first to work his way back into the title picture.

“I think, personally, since he’s such a huge star, he should get an immediate rematch,” Fremd responded. “If not, then him versus [Cory] Sandhagen would be an amazing fight to watch, so either one, I think, works.”

Continue Reading UFC Middleweight Josh Fremd Feels Merab Dvalishvili Didn’t ‘Beat’ Beat Champion Sean O’Malley [Exclusive] at MMA News.