Sean O'Malley reveals he had the "most mental negativity" ahead of Raulian Paiva fight 

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Sean O'Malley recently competed at UFC 269 [Image credits: @ufc on Instagram]

Sean O'Malley has talked about the mindset he had going into his fight against Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 last month.

'Sugar' recently made an appearance on former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub's Food Truck Diaries series. At one point during his conversation, O'Malley revealed that, largely due to having bruised ribs prior to his clash with Paiva, he was dealing with a lot of negative thoughts.

"Going into that fight I had bruised ribs. That was the most mental negativity I've dealt with going into that fight. I did very well and I was confident going into it but I hadn't grappled in three weeks, i hadn't sparred in those three weeks. I hit mitts and ran. That's all I did... I didn't know if I could grapple. I knew he was gonna try to take me down. every time I get into a fight, I'm like, 'That's gotta be their goal, to take me down. They're not going to strike with me.' So going in that fight, I was like, 'F**k, this is like a big test for me.'"

Catch the full episode of Food Truck Diaries below:

At UFC 269, O'Malley made quick work of Paiva, finishing the Brazilian in the very first round via TKO.

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Sean O'Malley might be out of action until June

Sean O'Malley recently revealed on his podcast that he will likely not return to the octagon anytime soon. That's due to a fractured thumb he suffered in his fight at UFC 269.

'Sugar' was originally planning to fight in March. However, his return may get postponed to June or July.

"I can’t fight March 5, it’s too soon. I don’t think they’re having a Vegas card in April, in May. I might not fight for a while. If I don’t fight until June or July, it just gives me time to get better and improve. I haven’t been able to train since my fight. I’ve had a fu**ing fractured thumb since my fight."

Catch the full episode of Sean O'Malley's podcast below:

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