"I plan on beating him up for 15 minutes" - Sean O'Malley predicts how UFC 269 fight with Raulian Paiva is likely to go
Sean O'Malley has boldly predicted the outcome of his upcoming showdown with Raulian Paiva at UFC 269.
According to O'Malley, the likeliest scenario is one wherein he gives Paiva a lopsided beating over the course of three rounds. Speaking with Ariel Helwani during the latest episode of The MMA Hour, O'Malley declared:
"I think I get the job done within the 15 minutes, but I'm prepared to go 15 minutes. My last two fights have ended in the later third round. So I think I'm definitely prepared. I don't think anybody's going to be tougher that Kris Moutinho was. I know Paiva took a lot of damage in his last fight and he's going to be extremely tough too. So I plan on beating him up for 15 minutes and the finish, if it's there, it's there. I've always been good with being patient with the finish and letting the finish come. I'm not a guy that forces the finish."
O'Malley added that he won't take Paiva's toughness lightly. With that in mind, 'Suga' vowed to be patient throughout the fight.
Check out Sean O'Malley's full interview below:
The last time Sean O'Malley was in action was at UFC 264 against newcomer Kris Moutinho. The Contender Series alum landed an astounding 230 significant strikes over the course of three rounds before referee Herb Dean finally decided to intervene in the dying seconds of the final round.
Sean O'Malley explains why he's on the UFC 269 main card and Dominick Cruz is on the prelims
Sean O'Malley has revealed why he believes an unranked fighter like himself made the UFC 269 main card while bantamweight legend Dominick Cruz is stuck in the prelims. According to the 27-year-old:
"It’s Dominick Cruz, the dude’s a legend, I can’t sit here and disrespect him, but he’s on the prelims. The UFC stacks the card in a specific way for a reason, you know what I mean? If they thought Dominick Cruz and Pedro Munhoz could sell more pay-per-views than me, they’d put him on the main card. I think it’s just the UFC’s a business and they understand what they’re doing, so they’re there because they’re there."
UFC 269 won't be the first time Dominick Cruz has fought in the prelims, rather than the main card. The former two-time UFC bantamweight champion was on the preliminary card at UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya as well, when he took on Casey Kenney.