It wasn’t just the lighting that has Sean O’Malley’s team pointing to the Sphere as a catalyst for his title loss in 2024.
O’Malley lost to Dvalishvili at the Sphere last September, when the pair headlined the first sporting event at the iconic Las Vegas venue.
Their main event at UFC 306, which marked the promotion’s second Noche UFC celebration for Mexican Independence Day, was largely one-sided in favor of ‘The Machine’.
In the aftermath, O’Malley revealed that he fought through a torn labrum, an injury that had prevented him from training grappling during his UFC 306 camp.
Many were quick to call out the defeated champion for making ‘excuses’, and those allegations recently resurfaced after O’Malley’s coach blamed the Sphere lighting.
Sean O’Malley says he fought through injury at UFC 306 due to the Sphere hype
O’Malley and Dvalishvili will rematch at UFC 316 on June 7, presenting ‘Sugar’ with an immediate opportunity to exact his revenge on the Georgian.
And he previewed that opportunity in a recent interview with Kevin Iole, during which he also reflected on his setback at UFC 306.
After his coach Tim Welch pointed to the Sphere’s lighting as a hindrance on fight night, O’Malley claimed that the hype behind the venue partly played into his decision to fight Dvalishvili despite his injury and less-than-ideal preparations.
“Two things: one, I was still confident I was gonna beat Merab. I didn’t walk into the cage thinking I was gonna lose. And two, it was the Sphere.
“It was this big thing built up. It’s got the highest record of attendance. I own that record, and that was cool to me,” O’Malley continued. “Coming up, watching Conor [McGregor] break all these records. … Records, to me, was something I was kind of chasing, something I cared about.
“That was a cool thing for me to have. Now, looking back on it, it’s still cool but what the f–k does it get me? Nothing, really. But, I mean, that will forever be in the record books…that was a big deal to me.”
Merab Dvalishvili could surpass Sean O’Malley’s reign at UFC 316
UFC 316 takes place inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Two title fights top the lineup, with Julianna Pena defending against Kayla Harrison before Dvalishvili and O’Malley renew hostilities.
And when ‘The Machine’ makes the walk for the main event, he’ll have an opportunity to surpass his opponent’s reign.
After a memorable crowning in Boston, where he knocked out longtime titleholder Aljamain Sterling in round two, O’Malley went on to dominate Marlon Vera in their rematch.
That Miami clash ultimately marked the only successful defense in the reign of ‘Sugar’.
After Dvalishvili unseated O’Malley from the throne, the Georgian enhanced his legacy by stalling the title ambitions of highly touted, undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311.
He’ll now look to add O’Malley to his record’s win column for the second time to move his tally of successful title defenses to two.