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Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 316: Can a fully healed O'Malley dethrone Dvalishvili or is the ‘Suga Show' over?
The post UFC 316: Can a fully healed O'Malley dethrone Dvalishvili or is the 'Suga Show' over? appeared first on ClutchPoints. When Sean O'Malley surrendered his UFC bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, speculation immediately swirled around the champion's health. News soon broke that O'Malley had suffered a torn labrum in his hip roughly ten weeks before the fight, an injury severe enough to require surgery and a lengthy layoff. The question for fans and pundits alike: Was the injury the decisive factor in O'Malley's defeat, or did Dvalishvili's relentless pressure and wrestling simply expose the limits of O'Malley's game? No Excuses: O'Malley's Own Take Despite the severity of his injury, O'Malley has been adamant that the torn labrum was not the reason for his loss. 'Best weight cut, felt good, no excuses,' O'Malley said after UFC 306. 'Everyone keeps asking me, 'Something seemed off.' No excuses'. He reiterated this stance in multiple interviews, refusing to blame his hip for being out-struck 214 to 49 and taken down six times by Dvalishvili. O'Malley's head coach, Tim Welch, echoed this sentiment but did admit that the injury severely limited their ability to train wrestling and grappling in camp. 'We really couldn't spend a lot of time on the mat like we have done in previous years… Just really doing a full wrestling practice or a full jiu-jitsu practice, we've been working around the injury as best we can'. Cortisone shots were needed just to get O'Malley to the fight, and grappling sessions were reduced to short bursts, a far cry from the full-scale preparations needed for a wrestler of Dvalishvili's caliber. Advertisement While O'Malley refuses to use the injury as an excuse, the facts of his training camp and fight performance suggest it was a significant factor. Dvalishvili's game plan has always revolved around suffocating pressure, relentless takedowns, and high-volume striking. Against a fully healthy O'Malley, those are still daunting obstacles. But with a compromised hip, O'Malley's ability to sprawl, scramble, and explode out of grappling exchanges was clearly diminished. O'Malley himself admitted that the torn labrum 'hindered his grappling ability,' and his coach confirmed that real wrestling and jiu-jitsu practices were nearly impossible for months leading up to the fight. The result was a champion forced to fight a defensive, reactive bout, unable to implement the dynamic movement and takedown defense that had previously defined his style. Can a Healthy O'Malley Flip the Script at UFC 316? It's a fascinating test of what a fully healthy 'Suga' can do against the relentless Merab Dvalishvili. While the narrative after their first fight at UFC 306 focused on Dvalishvili's dominance, a closer look at the scorecards and the action inside the Octagon reveals a far more competitive battle than many remember. On two of the three judges' scorecards, O'Malley actually won two out of the first three rounds. His sharp striking, lateral movement, and ability to create angles gave Dvalishvili problems early. O'Malley's jab and counterpunching landed clean, and his footwork kept him off the fence for stretches, forcing Dvalishvili to work for every takedown. Even when taken down, O'Malley was often able to scramble back to his feet or minimize damage, showing flashes of the championship-level composure that made him the division's king. Advertisement Perhaps the most telling moment came in the fifth round. With Dvalishvili pushing the pace, O'Malley landed a perfectly timed teep kick to the body that visibly hurt the Georgian. For a brief moment, Dvalishvili's relentless march slowed, and O'Malley pressed forward, sensing an opportunity. Unfortunately for O'Malley, time was not on his side, he simply ran out of clock before he could capitalize on the opening. These moments are crucial as we look ahead to UFC 316. If O'Malley's hip is fully healed and his training camp has truly addressed the wrestling and cardio demands of facing Dvalishvili, there's every reason to believe he can flip the script. Was the torn labrum the reason Sean O'Malley lost his title? The truth lies somewhere in the middle. O'Malley's refusal to make excuses is admirable, but the limitations on his training and grappling were real and significant. Against a grinder like Dvalishvili, those deficits are magnified. Advertisement At UFC 316, a healthy O'Malley has the chance to answer all doubts. If he can implement his striking, defend takedowns, and fight with the freedom that injury denied him, he could very well reclaim his throne. But if Dvalishvili's pressure once again smothers the 'Suga Show,' the narrative will shift from injury to inadequacy, and the bantamweight division will have a new undisputed king. Related: Nassourdine Imavov isn't waiting for a title shot, he's forcing the UFC's hand at UFC Paris Related: Joe Pyfer fires back at critics: 'I Didn't Get Fraud Checked!', aims at Bo Nickal in fiery rant
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former UFC champion Sean O'Malley explains why he stopped smoking weed
Former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley never hid his marijuanas use. He'd regularly consumed while on air during his podcast on YouTube. The channel was sponsored by marijuana-relate products. "Suga" decided to make lifestyle changes heading into this year after losing the championship to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 last September. O'Malley no longer gets on social media and he no longer smokes marijuana. He explained why on his coach's YouTube channel. Advertisement "I do like it. I just lately haven't been," O'Malley said on his coach Tim Welch's podcast. A rematch between Dvalishvili and O'Malley headlines the UFC 316 fight card on June 7 in Newark, New Jersey. The possibility of having to go 25 minutes with Dvalishvili again motivated O'Malley's decision. He wants to be in peak condition when he walks out at the Prudential Center. Related: Merab Dvalishvili's coach downplays broken toe "Just keep the lungs opened up ready to f*cking go 25 minutes. I didn't like the way it was making me feel after awhile," O'Malley revealed. "I gave me like this paranoia feeling. I just kind of wasn't enjoying it. I feel like I was was doing it because I was almost like addicted. I just wanted take a rip instead of taking it and being like fully enjoying it. But I've been enjoying not smoking." Following the UFC 306 championship loss to Dvalishvili, O'Malley underwent hip surgery. The rematch with Dvalishvili on June 7 will be his first fight since losing the title. While O'Malley watched from the sidelines, Dvalishvili successfully defended the title at UFC 311 in January, defeating the Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Merab Dvalishvili's team to warn referee over controversial Sean O'Malley tactic
Merab Dvalishvili 's coach has said the bantamweight champion 's team will warn the referee ahead of UFC 316, as they aim to combat a controversial tactic used by Sean O'Malley's trainer. When O'Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling to win the belt in 2023, the latter appeared to bite on a deceiving shout from 'Sugar Sean''s coach Tim Welch, who cried: 'Aljo, you've got to go!' Sterling might have believed it was his own coach shouting, but in any case, he closed range and was knocked out by O'Malley. Welch tried the same tactic when his fighter defended the gold against Dvalishvili in September, but he was unsuccessful in two senses; Welch was warned by referee Herb Dean, and Dvalishvili cruised to a decision win to become champion. At UFC 316 on 7 June, Dvalishvili looks to build upon January's successful defence against Umar Nurmagomedov, as he puts his belt on the line against O'Malley in New Jersey. And ahead of that rematch, the champion's head coach, John Wood, will make sure to speak to whichever referee is appointed. Wood told MMA Fighting on Monday (19 May): 'Of course we'll have that talk, of course it will be brought up. And I think Tim will do it again, but feel free to talk to Merab all you want; it just gave him more motivation, so I'm good. Tell Merab what you want him to do, and he'll go ahead and do it. 'It didn't work, it's not gonna work again. I've stated this before: whatever you think you've got to do to get your fighter up for the game, whatever you think you've got to do as a coach to try to take advantage, do it. As long as it's within the [rules]. I actually think that's a rule – you're not supposed to do that – but I mean, the old saying [is]: 'If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying.' 'I would never feel like I would have to talk to Sean or anybody else Merab's fighting to get an advantage, so go ahead, and if it gets you more hits or clicks on your podcast or TikTok or whatever those guys do, then great for you. He got a lot of play off that. 'I think Tim's a good coach, I like Tim personally, I don't take any offence to it. Do I think it's stupid? Absolutely, but I guess maybe they think it worked for the Aljo fight, so: 'It's something we're gonna keep on doing.' 'Go ahead. We'll talk to the referees about it, but I don't think it's going to be a problem in any way, shape or form.' Wood added: 'There's a lot of people that have had successful careers and cheated a lot. And I'm not saying that Tim's cheating; it's maybe bending the rules.' American O'Malley, 30, has not fought since losing the bantamweight belt to Dvalishvili at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the latter's defence against Nurmagomedov saw the Georgian, 34, mount a stunning comeback. On two of the judges' scorecards, Dvalishvili came from two rounds down to win the final three against Nurmagomedov, while the third card also awarded the 'Machine' the first frame. With that, Dvalishvili extended his win streak to a remarkable 12 fights, dating back to 2018. When Dvalishvili and O'Malley clash again, it will be in one of two bantamweight title bouts at UFC 316; the co-main event sees Julianna Pena defend the women's 135lb belt against Kayla Harrison – a former PFL champion and Olympic gold-medalist judoka.
