"I wanted to f***ing cry" - Sean O'Malley shares frustration following Pedro Munhoz fight at UFC 276
Fan-favorite UFC KO artist Sean O’Malley has opened up about the frustration he felt following his fight against Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276 on July 2nd.
Many believed that the No.13-ranked O’Malley would finally break into the UFC bantamweight top 10 by beating the No.9-ranked Munhoz. Unfortunately, their closely-contested matchup ended in an NC (No Contest) in the second round after an eye poke from O’Malley incapacitated Munhoz.
Both fighters immediately expressed their respect for one another and suggested that they’ll face off in a rematch. However, O’Malley later claimed that Munhoz feigned being hurt by the eye poke.
Munhoz vs. O'Malley ruled a no contest after an unintentional eye poke. #UFC276 https://t.co/Mfda0tF640
In his latest appearance on the Full Send Podcast, O’Malley reiterated the same. Furthermore, when asked what his mindset was after the disappointing ending to the fight, O’Malley stated:
“For 12 weeks dialed in, I’m fighting Pedro Munhoz July 2nd. Like, dialed in. No drinking, just, like, f***ing training, preparing for that moment yesterday. So, right after it [the Munhoz fight] was done, I wanted to f***ing cry. I was just, like, because I wanna put on shows."
"I wanna put on performances that make people remember where they’re at. Like, ‘Holy sh**! July 2nd, when Sean knocked that dude out, that was crazy!’ I mean, people remember that too ‘cause the whole eye poke thing. Like, he made a video on Instagram, closing the wrong eye.”
Watch O’Malley discuss the topic at 53:27 in the video below:
Pedro Munhoz shares his medical report from UFC 276 to combat Sean O’Malley’s accusations
One of the key points that Sean O’Malley has repeatedly harped on is that he hurt Pedro Munhoz with a punch to his left eye earlier in the fight. ‘Sugar’ believes that the eye poke, which he landed much later to Munhoz’s right eye, wasn’t the real reason behind the fight being stopped.
O’Malley has asserted that Munhoz was hurt by the punch to the left eye and knew he would eventually get stopped. ‘Sugar’ alleged that this is why, upon being poked in the right eye in round two, Munhoz pretended that he was unable to see, which led to the fight being waved off.
Munhoz, for his part, fired back at O’Malley to dismantle the allegations made by ‘Sugar.’ In an Instagram post, the veteran Brazilian fighter revealed his medical report from UFC 276, which shows that he suffered an abrasion of the right cornea.
While some argue that Munhoz’s medical reports have destroyed O’Malley’s narrative, others remain skeptical about the veracity of Munhoz’s injury. Presently, it’s unclear as to whether ‘Sugar’ and 'The Young Punisher' will clash in an immediate rematch or be booked against other fighters next.