Sean O’Malley recounted the surprising end to his fight against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316. During a grappling exchange in the third round, O`Malley initially didn`t believe Dvalishvili`s front headlock posed a serious threat. However, within seconds, the fight was over as O`Malley was forced to tap out.
This submission marked the first time in O`Malley`s career he had been finished, bringing his rematch with Dvalishvili in the UFC 316 main event to an abrupt conclusion. Speaking days after the bout with his coach Tim Welch, O`Malley discussed the submission and noted the increased confidence Dvalishvili displayed in attacking his neck compared to their initial encounter the previous September.
“It was weird,” O’Malley stated on his YouTube channel regarding the submission. “Because I didn’t feel like it was going to be tight. I felt like he was kind of stalling in that position like he does and it just got tight fast.”
His immediate reaction was shock. “I was like oh f**k. I didn’t realize how much time was left, I wish I would have f**king been in my guard more instead of trying to get up and make something happen. No excuses.”
Having gone the distance in their first fight, O’Malley could only commend the Georgian fighter for successfully finishing the rematch.
Despite less than nine months separating the two fights, O’Malley felt Dvalishvili had made significant improvements, appearing even more powerful in the second meeting.
“He felt strong last time but this time he felt just freakishly strong,” O’Malley commented, even going so far as to say, “He’s the greatest bantamweight of all time.”
Although the outcome wasn`t what he wanted, O’Malley admitted his perspective on this loss is notably different from how he felt after their first fight.
A major factor in this difference is his health; O`Malley reported feeling physically great after this fight, a stark contrast to their September bout which necessitated immediate hip surgery.
Looking ahead, O’Malley understands he needs to implement necessary adjustments before competing again, but he is grateful to be healthy and recognizes his overall well-being, stating life could be significantly worse.
“So for me to be able to go through something like that and the next Sunday rolls around, Monday rolls around, I don’t feel sad at all,” O’Malley explained. “I still feel very happy. I feel a little disappointed in the outcome. I feel like I’m frustrated but there’s no sadness inside of me.”
He finds comfort in his family. “I’m holding my 14-day-old, Elena’s sleeping on my chest, [my wife] Dani’s right next to me, I’ll close my eyes and I’ll picture things — when he locked up the guillotine, I could have done something, could have done this, could have done that, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.” He focuses on moving past the disappointment. “Kind of onto the next thought, I’m not sitting in that f**king thought just unravel and go down a negative hole. I still feel very good.”
With consecutive losses to Dvalishvili on his record, O’Malley will inevitably face a different opponent next, but he is not currently focused on potential matchups.
During the podcast, a friend suggested a fight against Umar Nurmagomedov, who also recently lost a decision to Dvalishvili in January and is currently available.
While that possibility might be intriguing, O’Malley’s priority is to take time off to decompress. He stated he will consider opponents and a timeline for his return to fighting at a later date.
“It’s nice to not think about a fight right now,” O’Malley concluded. “Because I do want to just chill for a few weeks and it’s way better [to not have a fight right now]. Even if the UFC said I think we know what we’re going to do, I don’t even want to know right now. Let me chill for five.”
