"The calmness of his mind is on a different level" - Michael Bisping highlights what makes Sean O'Malley special through comparison with self
Michael Bisping is impressed with Sean O’Malley’s emotional intelligence and ability to contain his feelings in big moments. O’Malley became the UFC bantamweight champion by defeating Aljamain Sterling via second-round TKO at UFC 292 pay-per-view event.
But Bisping is more impressed with his conduct after the fight was over. The 28-year-old barely expressed his feelings and walked around the octagon, cool as a cucumber! Bisping sees it as a sign of supreme confidence and high IQ.
While analyzing the fight on his YouTube channel, Bisping put his argument into perspective with the example of his title win over Luke Rockhold at UFC 199. The victory was followed by an outpour of emotions on ‘The Count’s behalf that enraged even a disoriented Rockhold.
“When I beat Luke Rockhold to become the champion, I was as shocked as anyone in the building," Bisping said. I couldn’t believe it. Of course I believed in myself but you never know until you get your hand raised if you’re actually going to get it done."
He added:
“O’Malley, it was so different. He was stoic, he was cool, he was calm because he knew, right? He knew all along that this was going to happen. That’s how you know that the mental aspect, the fight IQ, the calmness of his mind, is on a different level with this man!”
You can watch Michael Bisping talk about Sean O'Malley from the 3:08 mark of the video below:
Michael Bisping and Sean O’Malley’s career trajectories represent two opposite ends of the spectrum. O’Malley had a lot of hype around his name ever since his arrival on the scene and eventually captured the title at a young age.
Meanwhile, Michael Bisping is considered the epitome of perseverance and grit. He kept pushing through the ups and downs and put his hands on gold towards the very end of his career.
Sean O’Malley’s coach predicted the outcome in an eerily similar manner
Sean O’Malley dealt with Aljamain Sterling’s well-rounded game with a calm and patient demeanor. However, the preparation for the fight was an extremely stressful affair for him and his team. O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch sat down with Submission Radio for an interview during the fight week.
Welch stated that training for Aljamain Sterling was a nerve-racking experience for them. However, the O’Malley corner had a clear idea about their keys to victory and Welch predicted the manner of his pupil’s win in an eerily similar fashion.
“I think Aljo is such a good athlete," Welch said before the fight. "He’s so funky that he’s going to take the risks and he’s going to try to grab Sean. He’s going to take a big risk. And that’s also going to open up the knockout for us,"
The fight ended in an eerily similar fashion as Sean O’Malley countered Sterling coming in. The champion now has his eyes set on Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera as the next opponent. If finalized, the fight may take place on the UFC 296 pay-per-view event in December.