"Control is not the No.1 thing judges are supposed to look for, it's damage" - Chael Sonnen discusses Sean O'Malley's split decision win over Petr Yan
Sean O'Malley's split decision victory over Petr Yan at UFC 280 generated a ton of controversy among fans and multiple UFC athletes.
Many believe that the bantamweight bout should have gone the way of the former champion and termed the decision victory a 'robbery'. Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen joined the discussion and laid out his thoughts in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel.
Sonnen compared the performances of both fighters and said:
"Do we believe that O'Malley and Yan was close? That's what you have a judge for, to call these close ones. We know what the judges are supposed to look for, damage being principle number one. Are you really sure in your heart that 'Sugar' Sean didn't do more damage? It was Petr Yan that changed the realm of that fight. It was not Sean taking Yan down, it was Yan taking Sean down. That doesn't mean that 'Sugar' did more damage, I don't pretend that it does."
He also outlined the parameters that judges consider when scoring a fight, noting that damage counts the most per the criteria:
"It was Yan who was looking to change the realm of that fight and I did think that 'Sugar' did a lot of damage, at least on their feet, though he did not have control. But control is not the number one thing that judges are supposed to look for, it's damage."
Sonnen also demanded that Yan, as the losing party, explain why he deserved the victory more and vindicated the victor, Sean O'Malley.
Watch the complete video on Chael Sonnen's YouTube channel:
Sean O'Malley addresses haters over controversial UFC 280 win
Sean O'Malley has also spoken out on the decision victory after promising to rewatch the fight during his octagon interview.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'Sugar' celebrated being the No.1-ranked contender in the bantamweight division. He also called out his critics who termed the biggest win of his career a 'robbery', saying:
“You wanted me to lose in the first place... A robbery? How is it [a robbery]? Third round I won, second round he won, first round was close as f*** and I did more damage. It’s not really a robbery, it was a close fight. A really, really close fight... But since it’s me and people f****** hate me because I’m 6’6”, 220, pure chocolate, and ranked No. 1 bantamweight in the f****** world, b****!” [h/t MMA Fighting]
If O'Malley plays his cards right, he could land a title shot against Aljamain Sterling in his next fight.
Watch the complete episode of the BROMALLEY podcast on Sean O'Malley's YouTube channel: