Dana White denies that UFC doctors could have found Sean O'Malley's injury ahead of Noche UFC 306: “How would the doctors have checked?"
Sean O'Malley suffered a resounding title defeat against Merab Dvalishvili at Noche UFC 306 on Sept. 14. Many reflected on the former champion's performance, noting that he looked "flatter" and slower than usual.
It has now been revealed that 'Sugar' went into the fight with a torn labrum in his hip, which will require surgery in the coming days. There are suggestions that the injury could have hampered his performance against Dvalishvili, and questions about how O'Malley could pass a medical test ahead of the fight have been raised.
Those questions were put to UFC CEO Dana White following this week's edition of the Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) event held in Las Vegas. Interestingly, White stated that the doctors in charge of medically examining fighters before an event would not have been able to locate the injury.
He appeared in front of the media following DWCS, and said:
"If these guys come in and they have something and we don't know, I mean how would the doctors check for a torn labrum? You know what I mean. You can't... Literally everybody reached out to me that night and said Sean O'Malley didn't look like himself, he didn't look explosive. All the same stuff we were saying that night."
Watch Dana White's interview below (8:20):
Sean O'Malley has no excuses for his loss to Merab Dvalishvili
Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili headlined the historic Noche UFC 306 card held on Sept. 14 to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, with the pay-per-view card held at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
With 'Sugar' having promised fans a knockout victory, his performance left many wondering if he had issues preparing for Dvalishvili as O'Malley looked uncharacteristically slow on the feet.
He struggled to find his rhythm or defend takedown attempts with the success he had previously displayed.
But following the fight, the 29-year old reflected on the result as well as his preparation, and has shared no excuses for the performance. During a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow, he said:
"Great fight week, best weight cut [ever]. Felt good, no excuses. My mom too, [she said], 'You just weren't the same. What was wrong?' Nothing, I just got beat. Everyone keeps asking me that, like something seemed different... Zero excuses. I had a good fight camp, good weight cut."
Click here to watch Sean O'Malley's video.