"Didn't even look like he got in a fight" - Sean O'Malley describes meeting Leon Edwards after "one of the most legendary comebacks"
Sean O’Malley has revisited his meeting with Leon Edwards after his iconic UFC welterweight title-winning performance at the UFC 278 event on August 20th. Edwards faced then-UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the event’s headlining matchup.
After getting outpointed for the better part of the fight, Edwards pulled off a last-minute comeback by knocking out the then-UFC pound-for-pound king Usman with a head kick. Having captured the coveted welterweight belt from Usman, the UK MMA stalwart later went all out in his celebrations at the afterparty alongside other UFC personalities such as Sean O’Malley.
"LOOK AT ME NOW! POUND-FOR-POUND. HEADSHOT. DEAD!" 🥶
Celebrating the champ @Leon_edwardsmma on his birthday 🇬🇧🇯🇲🏆
On. Repeat 💯 https://t.co/KrfuiqtI9f
In an edition of The BrOMalley Show podcast, ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley and his brother Daniel O’Malley addressed ‘Rocky’s’ spectacular victory over Usman. Lauding Edwards and recalling their post-fight meeting, ‘Sugar’ stated:
“Kamaru-Leon, that was epic, one of the most legendary comebacks of all time – especially because Kamaru was in the pound, I don’t know, was the pound-for-pound best in the world. That’s what makes that so crazy. If it would’ve been any other champion, it would’ve been crazy; but the fact that he was the pound-for-pound, breaking records, knocking dudes out.”
Furthermore, both ‘Sugar’ and Daniel O’Malley seemingly concurred that the much-discussed trilogy matchup between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman could likely be booked to transpire in early 2023. O’Malley said:
“Leon didn’t look too busted up. In person, I was like… He didn’t even look like he got in a fight.” Describing how Edwards was, O’Malley added, “Super laidback, very chill, definitely likes to party at the clubs.”
Sean O’Malley is scheduled to face former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280 on October 22nd. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Leon Edwards will face Usman next or fight another contender while ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ recovers from his vicious KO defeat.
Watch O’Malley discuss the topic at 3:44 in the video below:
John McCarthy believes the Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman trilogy fight shouldn’t take place before March 2023
UFC president Dana White recently suggested that the Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman rubber match could take place in early 2023 in Edwards’ native UK. Presently, their series of fights is tied at one win apiece.
In a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, former MMA referee John McCarthy cautioned Usman against rushing back into training and sparring. Noting that Usman could get back to high-intensity training in December and fight Edwards in March/April 2023, McCarthy said:
"Yes, he [Usman] deserves an automatic rematch. But, he does need to take some time. It should not happen here until the summer of 2023. If you're thinking about it, he should be taking at least three months off.”
Watch McCarthy’s assessment below: