"To say I lost any bit of that fight is ridiculous" - Sean O'Malley pins blame on 'amateur' judges for scoring first round against him during UFC 276
While appearing on the Nelk Boys podcast, Sean O'Malley shared his opinion on his fight against Pedro Munhoz, blaming the judges for their lack of knowledge after it was revealed round one was scored against him.
The 27-year-old's clash at UFC 276 was cut short when he was accused of accidentally poking his opponent in the eye during an exchange. 'Sugar' prides himself on providing entertainment for fans and was rightfully a little frustrated with how the fight played out.
During an appearance on the Full Send podcast, Sean O'Malley gave his view on how the first round went and insulted the cage-side judges for giving the round to Munhoz.
"Watching it back, I hit him with the right hand... He started doing something with his eye, so I think that right hand kind of hurt him. He was wiping his eye after I hit him, just like a clean shot... He landed zero shots to the head, zero shots to the body. They claimed he landed like 26 leg kicks, I checked those... The first couple he threw, I checked them and I could tell they hurt. I could feel his bones crackle... So, for the judges to score that as him landing kicks on me, it's because those judges aren't experienced in mixed martial arts... It's very amateur judging on their part, 'cause to say I lost any bit of that fight is ridiculous."
With the MMA community torn on whether they want the star to rematch the Brazilian or look elsewhere for his next outing, it is unclear what the UFC and Dana White will choose for him next.
Check out what O'Malley had to say about the Pedro Munhoz fight in the video below:
Who's next for Sean O'Malley?
Sean O'Malley has quickly become one of the UFC's biggest stars during his time in the spotlight, and after the controversial ending to his fight last weekend, fans are eager to know what's next for the bantamweight.
With the division mostly booked and a rematch with Munhoz looking unlikely, there are only a handful of options for the 135 pounder. Two potential opponents for the knockout artist are established contender Rob Font or future Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar.
Another, more surprising challenger for 'Sugar' who has recently emerged is Henry Cejudo. Both 'Triple C' and O'Malley locked horns backstage after UFC 276, so a matchup between the two seems plausible at worst.