"They're going to listen to these three judges who've never taken a kickboxing class in their lives" - Sean O'Malley questions why fans believe the scorecard in the Pedro Munhoz fight

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Sean O'Malley [Image courtesy: Getty Images]

Sean O'Malley's last fight against Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276 was anticlimactic. The bantamweight bout ended prematurely and was ruled a no-contest following an eye-poke by O'Malley.

Only three minutes and twenty-nine seconds had elapsed in the second round when the fight was stopped. However, two of the judges, Mike Bell and Doug Crosby, had Munhoz ahead after the first round.

Speaking to Brett Okamoto of ESPN after the announcement of his next fight against Petr Yan, O'Malley criticized the judges in the following terms:

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"Yeah, it's funny like- everyone would just listen to what the judges would say. For me, whatever I think makes more sense to me. So I said I won that fight because those judges have never taken a kickboxing class."

'Sugar' went on to explain his reasoning before questioning fans for placing stock in the judges' scorecards:

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"So when he threw a kick and I checked it and it hurt him really bad, they mark that down for him. And then people listen to the judges, because the judges said that that landed so they're gonna give that to him. So he won that round. Why wouldn't the fans listen to an elite-level striker like myself and say no, I won that round. No, we're gonna listen to these three judges that have never taken a kickboxing class in their life. Makes no sense to me." [sic]

Watch Sean O'Malley's complete interview with Brett Okamoto on YouTube here:

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Sean O'Malley is set to face number one contender Petr Yan

Sean O'Malley's first fight with a top-10 ranked opponent was cut-short. The Pedro Munhoz bout did not provide any insight into how 'Sugar' would fare against elite competition. The no-contest ruling may have hampered his progress in the division, but to everyone's surprise, it has only led to 'Sugar' landing perhaps the most dangerous opponent in the bantamweight division.

O'Malley is set to face off against former bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.

'Sugar' now finds himself one fight away from demanding a title shot if he can emerge victorious against 'No Mercy'. However, 'Sugar' will likely have to elevate his game to succeed against against the Russian.

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