Sean O’Malley expressed that he wished he had approached certain aspects of his recent fight differently, following his disappointing loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316.
In this championship bout, the American fighter challenged Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC Bantamweight title. He had previously held the belt before facing Dvalishvili at this event.
Sources indicated O’Malley implemented significant changes to his preparation and lifestyle with the goal of defeating the Georgian champion. However, he ultimately fell short in the main event of UFC 316.
The fight concluded in the third round. Merab Dvalishvili secured a chokehold, forcing O’Malley to submit. This performance allowed Dvalishvili to successfully retain his UFC Bantamweight championship.
Reflecting on the fight in New Jersey, O’Malley shared that he has some regrets about how events unfolded and believes he understands the reasons behind his loss.
O’Malley Reflects on the Submission
O’Malley specifically pointed out a moment he feels was a critical mistake that impacted the outcome of the fight against Dvalishvili.
“Suga” tapped out to the choke in the third round. He mentioned that there were only 18 seconds left in the round when he submitted, admitting that had he known how close he was to the bell, he would have attempted to withstand the submission attempt for a longer period.
Positive Aspect: Avoiding Surgery
In commentary following the fight, O’Malley highlighted one positive outcome from the loss: he did not suffer an injury requiring surgery.
He noted this was a significant relief, particularly when contrasted with a previous instance where a fight loss resulted in the need for surgical intervention.
