"Going to sleep ain't gonna prove anything" - UFC star Sean O'Malley not a fan of fighters refusing to tap while being submitted
Sean O’Malley has suggested that he strongly disagrees with fighters refusing to tap while being submitted. ‘Suga’ noted that if a fighter knows that they’re locked in a submission and will probably get choked unconscious, they ought to tap rather than fight the choke.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, O’Malley addressed Michael Chandler’s recent comments regarding fellow UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier's performance against Charles Oliveira at UFC 269. Chandler criticized Poirier for tapping after Oliveira sunk in a rear-naked choke in the third round of their championship bout.
Broke him. #ufc269
I would never ever quit...I went out on my shield after being separated from consciousness, congrats to Oliveira... #ufc269
‘Iron’ insinuated that he'd rather go out on his shield, like he did when he himself faced Oliveira at UFC 262 in May – losing via second-round TKO. Sean O’Malley addressed this and stated:
“Dude, if someone has a choke locked up around your neck, going to sleep ain’t gonna prove anything. It’s not gonna mean you’re tougher or smart. It means you’re dumber. If you go to sleep and you have the option to tap, but you wanna go to sleep because; whatever reason. It’s an ego-driven thing, too, but it’s like – Just f**king tap. If there’s a 0.1 percent [chance] that you’ll get out, try to get out maybe. Or if there’s zero percent, when someone’s locked – Charles Oliveira’s locked up around your neck – I’m tapping, too.”
Watch Sean O’Malley's video below:
Michael Chandler apologized for his post-UFC 269 comments against Dustin Poirier
Michael Chandler has been criticized by certain sections of the MMA community for his recent comments on Dustin Poirier's performance at UFC 269. As reported by MMA Fighting, Chandler has now apologized for his comments but still believes that Poirier could’ve done more to fight off the choke. He said:
“I think there’s always a little bit more fight left before a tap could happen. I will admit maybe I was a little bit too harsh. Maybe the word quit was not the right word to use.”
Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier are both coming off losses. Chandler will be looking to put himself back in title contention with a win sometime in 2022. It remains to be seen who he takes on next.
Meanwhile, Dustin Poirer has hinted at a move to the 170 lbs division and is eyeing a potential bout with UFC superstar Nate Diaz.