“Nobody can do that” - Chael Sonnen on Sean O’Malley’s exquisite display of range control in win over Marlon Vera
Chael Sonnen thinks that Sean O'Malley's distance management might be a huge problem for his future opponents.
O'Malley secured the first defense of his bantamweight title against Marlon 'Chito' Vera at last weekend's UFC 299 pay-per-view event. The 28-year-old executed a near-perfect game plan, employing effective footwork and accurate striking to inflict damage from the outside.
One of the most durable fighters on the roster, 'Chito,' made it to the final bell. However, besides a few exchanges in the later rounds, the Ecuadorian had little success against the champion. Ultimately, O'Malley won all five rounds on the judges' scorecards, avenging the only loss of his professional MMA career.
During the UFC Post Show, Sonnen hailed O'Malley's win as the "single best performance" he has ever seen. Sonnen highlighted that most of O'Malley's opponents, including 'Chito', have failed to take him down despite his perceived weakness on the ground.
Sonnen also said that he believes a credentialed grappler like Merab Dvalishvili, who will likely be O'Malley's next opponent, might find it difficult to implement his dominant wrestling. The 46-year-old then explained why fighters struggle to get in close range with O'Malley, saying:
“YYou want to know why ‘Chito’ didn’t try to take him down? The same reason the other five guys never tried to take him down - They can’t get inside. He controls range. It is an unbelievable thing. He will hit you going that way, he will hit you backing up, he will hit you going to the side. Nobody can do that.”
Catch Sonnen's comments below (0:32):
Robert Whittaker feels that Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili is a "bad matchup"
No.1-ranked bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili is regarded among the best grapplers on the UFC roster. A large section of the MMA community believes that Dvalishvili's dominant ground game might cause problems for Sean O'Malley when they fight.
However, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker thinks that O'Malley's creative striking arsenal might prove problematic for Dvalishvili.
"I think Merab and Sean are a bad matchup. I think Sean's spacing and just his creativity. Not to mention, Sean has the entire skillset, the entire arsenal."
Whittaker argued that O'Malley's timing and attacks, like the lead knee that caught Marlon Vera's attention last weekend, could find their mark against Dvalishvili.
Catch Robert Whittaker's comments below (7:35):