Sean O’Malley @SugaSeanMMA is handling his defeat to Merab like a boss! Respect, Suga! pic.twitter.com/xo10jjTVy3
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) September 15, 2024
Sean O’Malley is taking his title loss against Merab Dvalishvili in stride.
O’Malley put his bantamweight strap on the line against Dvalishvili in the main event at UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday. With the exception of visibly hurting Dvalishvili in the final round with front kicks to the body, O’Malley was thoroughly dominated by the Georgian on the way to a unanimous decision loss.
While a title loss is bound to take a toll on everyone, O’Malley is seemingly not letting it break him mentally. O’Malley is treating it as his first professional loss, as he refuses to acknowledge a prior loss against Marlon Vera that occurred after he suffered a leg injury in the August 2020 bout.
“Sugar” was seen getting teased by his friend who mocked takedown attempts, imitating Dvalishvili’s go-to move throughout the UFC 306 title fight.
“He’s f—ing celebrating my first loss like it’s something funny dude,” O’Malley said on Snapchat. “Not funny man. Everyone’s gotta lose sometime, man.”
O’Malley then went on to acknowledge the loss, critiquing himself for over promising and under delivering. The former champ thanked his fans for the support, vowing to return to action.
“Hello boys, didn’t get the job done,” he said. “Appreciate the support, appreciate the love. Over promised, under delivered. This one f—-ing stinks. Enjoying the family, enjoying friends, enjoying life. We’ll be back. Appreciate you guys.”
The Montana native also wrote in the caption of a photo: “F–k. Not undefeated anymore.“
O’Malley was also seen wearing a wrestling singlet, working on his takedown defence.
O’Malley won the title with a knockout win over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August 2023. While Dvalishvili was widely considered the next rightful title contender, O’Malley insisted on fighting “Chito” Vera, whom he defeated by the unanimous decision in his first title defense at UFC 299 this past March.
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