Sean O’Malley has been mocked by Henry Cejudo for landing what he believes was a ‘fluke’ win in his crowning moment.
The ex-bantamweight champion hadn’t fully earned the respect of fans and experts until August of last year, when he knocked out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. Sterling was considered one of the greatest bantamweights in history, and the win catapulted O’Malley to a new level of stardom.
But now former bantamweight and flyweight champion Cejudo is claiming that the victory; O’Malley’s most famous, was not indicative of his skills. This comes after he was mocked by the former champion in a number of appearances amid an ongoing feud between the pair.
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Sean O’Malley’s big win branded a ‘fluke’ after latest defeat
After losing to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, Sean O’Malley’s record has been put under more scrutiny than ever. Many are questioning his first defence being against a lower-ranked opponent in Marlon Vera, and he is batting off critiques from all angles.
One vocal detractor of the American is former two-weight world champion and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo. Speaking on his podcast Pound 4 Pound, Cejudo claimed that Sterling could have continued that night in Boston, and questioned the legitimacy of O’Malley’s victory.
“What can I say? I predicted these things,” Cejudo bragged after previously being pranked on his podcast by O’Malley. “Sean is not accustomed to going five rounds, and he is not accustomed to people on his legs.
“And I just felt like – I still go back and say, ‘Hey, that fight with Aljamain Sterling, that was a fluke too’. Aljamain was still in that fight, and people thought I was just hating. It’s like, no, I’ve been in there with Merab.
“I did a whole lot better than Sean did when I fought Merab. I mean, I took down Merab. Merab is lucky that I had that groin injury… And I’m still planning on running it back, but either way, [Sean O’Malley] got his a** kicked for five rounds and I can’t wait to get him next.”
Sean O’Malley has regularly mocked Henry Cejudo
The feud between O’Malley and Cejudo has been ongoing for years. Both men are famed trash talkers in the bantamweight division, and have held gold at 135lb, meaning they are regularly linked for potential fights.
Prior to UFC 306, O’Malley agreed to go on the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Cejudo and his co-host Kamaru Usman. However, once he got on the call, he simply used it as an opportunity to prank his rival before quickly hanging up.
“Boys, you guys know I’m a very, very busy man,” O’Malley said before unleashing his tirade. “I’ll keep this short. I came here for two reasons: 1) praise to Kamaru, you’re an absolute legend and 2) Henry, how’d you let Aljo (Aljamain Sterling) take you down so easy. You’re welcome!”
And after his defeat, O’Malley did not cut down on his mockery of Cejudo, telling fans that he was a washed up fighter who “won a Bronze medal back in ’08”. He famously won gold at the Beijing Olympics, and did not take kindly to the commentary from his rival.
He hit back in a tweet, writing: “The only thing you ever won the gold in is being the worlds biggest C***. 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 v*****.
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