“It came out the wrong way" - Sean O'Malley's coach addresses backlash surrounding his message to 'Sugar' ahead of round 5 at UFC 306
Sean O'Malley faced Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of Noche UFC 306 on Sept. 14 for the bantamweight title. It was a battle between arguably the division's best striker and wrestler, with the Georgian's relentless grappling securing a dominant decision victory.
'Sugar' was unable to defend his opponent's takedowns with the same success shown in previous fights, with his biggest moment of the bout coming late in round five after landing a sharp body kick that visibly hurt Dvalishvili.
Several days after the defeat, O'Malley's coach Tim Welch was interviewed by ESPN MMA. During it, Welch was asked about a message he gave to the 29-year old during the one-minute break in between the final two frames.
The in-octagon microphone picked up the MMA coach stating, "We are almost done with this," a statement that stunned many who heard it given the context and the delivery of the message.
Upon reflecton, Welch admitted the comment did not come out the way he intended, and said this to ESPN MMA:
"It came out the wrong way. I meant to say, 'We're almost done with this.' Like, 'You're gonna clip him at any time!' But also, I've known Sean for 12 years, I know what's going through his mind... I forget those cameras are rolling on my mic... It sounded way worse than it actually was... It came out the wrong way and sounded stupid."
Watch Tim Welch discuss his message to Sean O'Malley below (13:45):
Sean O'Malley makes no excuse for his loss to Merab Dvalishvili
Sean O'Malley has accepted his title defeat to Merab Dvalishvili with the grace of a true champion, with 'Sugar' making no excuses about the loss despite having fought with an injury.
The former champion looked far more uncomfortable than usual on the feet during his Noche UFC 306 clash, but there are suggestions that Dvalishvili's grappling-heavy style thwarted O'Malley's striking prowess.
The 29-year old has dismissed any notion that he was not himself on fight night and reflected on the result 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.