Sean O’Malley lost his Bantamweight title at UFC 306 and he is obviously disappointed with the loss. In his fight against Merab Dvalishvili, “Suga” was expected to put up a great performance against “The Machine,” but unfortunately things went completely the other way as O’Malley was dominated throughout the fight. When he tried to get a hold of Dvalishvili, the Georgian was smart enough to stay out of his reach. Unfortunately, this strategy worked for Merab, and O’Malley lost his title at UFC Noche.
Suga talked about his mental state
While speaking on the ‘SugaSeanMMA’ show, O’Malley opened up about his current mental state. Elaborating on the matter, he said, “woke up today and I’m still sad but you know what, time heals…It’s all about perspective, life is still good. Definitely f***ing stings.”
Of course, the way the match went is enough to break any athlete’s mental strength. As soon as Merab moved away from O’Malley, the champion had to commit to some significant strikes. Unfortunately, the moment Sean advanced, the Georgian took full advantage and dropped him to the mat. During the match, Dvalishvili landed 12 successful takedowns, which significantly tipped the scoring in his favor.
The Machine dominated the former champion
Suga tried hard to reverse while on the ground, but Dvalishvili was too powerful for him. After constant encouragement from his coach, Tim Welch, Suga looked desperate as the fight progressed. Towards the end of round 5, Suga landed some body shots that caused his opponent some damage. But it was too late and Merab eventually became the new champion. During the match, Dvalishvili made a gesture that went viral. At the end of the second round, “The Machine” held O’Malley firmly against the fence. However, things went awry when Merab started kissing the back of Sean’s neck. After kissing multiple times, referee Herb Dean intervened and warned Merab to not repeat such behavior.
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While speaking on this incident, Dvalishvili revealed that it was his lighthearted attempt to mock O’Malley. By kissing his opponent, Dvalishvili wanted to prove his dominance. After such a humiliating defeat, it looks like O’Malley will take some time to move on and bounce back soon.
