Sean O'Malley reacts to Khamzat Chimaev's claims regarding Colby Covington's nationality getting him UFC title shot
Sean O'Malley recently weighed in on Khamzat Chimaev's claims that Colby Covington's nationality helped him get another title shot.
With 'Chaos' next in line to challenge Leon Edwards for the UFC welterweight title, Chimaev recently questioned Covington's eligibility for a third shot at UFC gold. Blasting Covington's performances against Kamaru Usman at UFC 245 and UFC 268, 'Borz' suggested that the UFC is gifting Colby Covington championship fights because he is an American.
"Colby Covington deserves this shot at the title" 🏆
No doubt in the mind of @danawhite as to who is next in line to take on UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards 😤 https://t.co/w1FRPTp75A
Making these claims in a recent YouTube video, Chimaev said:
"He's sh*t and they [UFC] gave that chance for him because maybe he's from USA... They want the belt for him."
Reacting to Khamzat Chimaev's claims, Sean O'Malley recently joked that he was offended by the grappling phenom's suggestion and sarcastically called Khamzat Chimaev out for a fight.
On a recent episode of The BrOMalley Show, 'Suga' reacted to Chimaev's words, saying:
"Woah. Khamzat that's a little f**king... I'm offended as an American man myself. Khamzat, you're lucky, it's on sight. Jokes, jokes don't f**king kill me."
Watch the episode below (24:15 onwards) :
Meanwhile, Sean O'Malley is set to face UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in a title fight at UFC 292 at the TD Garden in Boston on August 19. O'Malley is unbeaten in his last five outings, last tasting defeat against Marlon Vera at UFC 252.
Sean O'Malley vs. Aljamain Sterling: Coach Tim Welch claims the UFC wants 'Suga' to dethrone 'Funk Master'
Sean O'Malley's coach Tim Welch recently claimed that the UFC brass is rooting for 'Suga' to win the bantamweight title and is backing him to beat Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292.
O'Malley is one of the UFC's fastest-rising stars and the 28-year-old has captivated fans with his unique personality and offbeat fashion sense. In his last octagon outing, 'Suga' managed to shock the world by securing a razor-close split-decision victory over Petr Yan at UFC 280.
Despite the controversial win, Sean O'Malley earned himself a shot at bantamweight gold and is now set to face the toughest test of his career. While many see 'Suga' as the underdog, his coach believes the promotion is counting on him to become the new bantamweight king.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Tim Welch explained:
"Having 'Suga' be the champion... I mean, what other bantamweight in history has just one-punched people and walked off like Mark Hunt?... 'Suga' is a big superstar and the UFC helped with that so I'm sure the UFC would love to see a KO artist that's as flashy as Sean be the champion."
youtube.com/watch?v=5vJ5yO…Tim Welch feels the UFC "for sure" wants Sean O'Malley as champion 🏆 #TheMMAHour
"A bantamweight, a tall skinny kid with tattoos and curly hair, one-punching people and walking off. The UFC knows what they’re doing."
▶️ youtube.com/watch?v=5vJ5yO… https://t.co/nKeSxnA1BU