Sean O’Malley faced quite a bit of disappointment back at UFC 306. Merab Dvalishvili not only won the bantamweight championship belt but also humiliated ‘Suga.’ Following this, O’Malley stayed out of social media and focused on himself. Now, as the duo is set to fight once again at UFC 316, the former bantamweight champion addressed the errors in his way. That’s what we’ll discuss in today’s episode of MMA News Roundup.
After that, we’ll take a look at the beef between Arman Tsarukyan and Paddy Pimblett. And finally, we’ll stop the trending train with Mateusz Gamrot expressing his ambition for the fight against Benoit Saint-Denis. So, without any further ado, let’s dive right into it!
Sean O’Malley admits his mistake at UFC 306
Recently, Sean O’Malley sat down with Jon Anik and discussed his upcoming rematch with Merab Dvalishvili. Therein, he revealed, “I don’t wanna have any excuses. It wasn’t a great camp. But it was a good camp for what I was able to do. So, I was over- I don’t wanna say over-confidence… I was underestimating Merab’s skill. I know how good he is; I just believed in myself that much. So, looking back on it, yeah, I probably shouldn’t have accepted the fight.”
It’s worth noting that O’Malley had torn his labrum just 10 weeks before UFC 306. And with 8 left to the bout, he got a call from Hunter Campbell about fighting at the Sphere. Of course, there was no way he was going to turn the opportunity down. However, ‘Suga’ declared that he was happy with where he was right now. After all, he expected to rise victorious at UFC 316 and make it as sweet as possible.
Now, it’s time to focus on the lightweight division. Here, Arman Tsarukyan and Paddy Pimblett showed quite some heat at each other through posts on X. Who knows, this might be the trailer to a possible battle between the two.
Paddy Pimblett and Arman Tsarukyan wage an online war
During a conversation with BBC Sport, the British lightweight contender claimed that no one really cared about the Armenian fighter anymore. He simply dismissed ‘Ahalkalakets’ as a potential opponent for his next fight. Instead, ‘The Baddy’ believed that Justin Gaethje would be a far better opponent for him. No doubt, Pimblett’s words didn’t really sit well with the #1 lightweight contender.
Responding to that on X, Tsarukyan wrote, “It was obvious you were talking trash with zero intention of backing it up. Your UFC career is built on handouts, hype, and shortcuts to the top.” But Pimblett wasn’t going to stay shut regarding the disrespect. ‘The Baddy’ responded, “Rich boy talking about handouts. You’ve been handed everything on a silver platter by daddy. Nobody cares about you after you pulled out.”
It’s not hard to imagine Pimblett and Tsarukyan settling their scores inside the Octagon. But it’ll probably be after the Brit competes against ‘The Highlight.’ And as the beef between the lightweights continued to get hotter, another rivalry between Mateusz Gamrot and Benoit Saint-Denis erupted in the LW realm.
Mateusz Gamrot has some strong words for Benoit Saint-Denis
Gamrot has been demanding a battle against Saint-Denis for quite some time now. And at the post-fight press conference for UFC on ESPN 68, he said, “I can change Benoit Saint Denis’ nickname. His nickname is ‘God Of War.’ I will change it to ‘God Of The Comfort Zone’. Because bro, he got offered to fight with me one week before, and many times he called me out. So he gets opportunity, and he says no. Bro, what the f—? ‘God of Comfort Zone.’”
Gamrot claimed that when he arrived in Florida, he kept asking for a fight. However, most of the fighters were already booked. Now, he has only two options. He could either wait a few months to get a ranked opponent or he could take on an unranked fighter. Gamrot continued, “So the choice for me was clear: I want to fight. Of course, this was a big risk, but like I said before, If you be live in yourself and your skills, you can fight with everybody. I did this, I took this fight. It was a big risk, but I won tonight, so I’m so happy: double check.”
With changes in his lifestyle, O’Malley is certainly going in for a win at UFC 316. However, we can’t really underestimate Dvalishvili. To sum up his strength, he outwrestled Umar Nurmagomedov. Needless to say, ‘Suga’ will have to be very careful. But do you think he’d be able to win the upcoming bout? What are your thoughts on the matchup between Tsarukyan and Pimblett? Do you think Gamrot will be able to stand true to his words? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
The post MMA News Roundup: Sean O’Malley Admits Underestimating Merab, Arman Tsarukyan & Paddy Pimblett Ignite Online Spat, Gamrot’s Message to Saint-Denis appeared first on EssentiallySports.