Before rising to fame in the UFC, Sean O’Malley had to overcome huge adversity just a few fights into his tenure with the premier promotion.
At UFC 316 on June 7, Merab Dvalishvili looks to score his second win over Sean O’Malley when they clash in a rematch for the bantamweight title.
Ahead of their rematch, O’Malley has touched on their first clash, claiming that several factors of the Sphere led to his subsequent downfall.
Despite being most known for his wrestling and dominant pressure, Dvalishvili has made a bold prediction that he will knock ‘Suga’ out at UFC 316, which has sparked a reaction from O’Malley.
Throughout his rise up the ranks at 135lbs, O’Malley had to overcome adversity on several occasions, with the first instance being when he fought Andre Soukhamthath at UFC 222.
Joe Rogan lay on the ground to interview an injured Sean O’Malley
‘Suga’ Sean earned his opportunity in the UFC after scoring a viral knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series which resulted in one of the most memorable moments in UFC history after Snoop Dogg’s reaction on commentary.
After a successful debut in 2017, O’Malley was matched up against Andre Soukhamthath at UFC 222 in March 2018.
Early on in the fight, ‘Suga’ showcased his striking arsenal, landing several big kicks on ‘The Asian Sensation’.
With just under a minute left of round one, O’Malley landed a big right hand, momentarily dropping Soukhamthath to the ground before once again unleashing some big kicking attacks on him.
Again in round two, ‘Suga’ dominated the majority of the round with his sensational striking and even had to show off his grappling after he was taken down. The UFC star almost scored a guillotine submission but Soukhamthath managed to break out.
However, it was in round three when O’Malley had to overcome adversity. After landing another big head kick, ‘Suga’ wobbled on his foot as he planted it on the ground.
Despite being completely compromised on his feet, Soukhamthath bizarrely decided to take the fight down to the ground. Somehow, O’Malley made it to the end of the fight and was awarded the unanimous decision win.
Following the announcement of the result, O’Malley was interviewed by Joe Rogan as they both lay on the ground.
“The inside of (my foot), I can’t feel it, I couldn’t even step on it, I think it was a question mark kick, it really hurts but nothing a little medicine can’t fix,” O’Malley said.
“I f—— love you, Joe Rogan,” O’Malley said as he lay in pain.
“I f—— love you too, buddy. Listen man, what you did tonight was really fun, you’re an incredibly promising young prospect, I hope your foot heals up as quick as possible,” Rogan said.
Sean O’Malley shares ‘crazy’ premonition of UFC title loss to Dvalishvili
Ahead of his rematch against Merab ‘The Machine’, O’Malley shared a wild premonition of his UFC title loss.
O’Malley’s superstar look includes a body full of tattoos, with the most notable of which being a big owl tattooed across his chest.
Before his UFC 306 fight against the Georgian, O’Malley found a dead owl in his driveway which he subsequently went on to find out that that’s a sign of bad luck.