Sean O’Malley faced a disappointing defeat against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316, where he was unable to reclaim his bantamweight title. The event unfolded on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, resulting in O’Malley’s second consecutive loss, as he was submitted by Dvalishvili in the third round of their rematch.
In the aftermath of the fight, O’Malley took to social media to express his regret to fans for not being able to secure the title, citing another underwhelming performance. Supporters had hoped that the 30-year-old fighter had sufficiently prepared for the challenge, having made significant lifestyle changes before the bout. However, Dvalishvili showcased dominance throughout.
According to Tom Aspinall, the current UFC interim heavyweight champion, O’Malley’s mindset seemed to wane as the fight progressed. He believes that after the initial rounds, O’Malley lost his determination in the Octagon.
“There’s definitely a debate for saying that (Dvalishvili) is potentially the bantamweight GOAT,” Aspinall remarked in a recent YouTube video. “Merab looked absolutely unstoppable, just doing normal Merab stuff. Like staying on the outside, diving in with some crazy punches, 25 takedown attempts a round or whatever he’s doing, how do you fight a guy like that?
“For me, I just think after round two, in all honesty, Sean O’Malley just didn’t seem to really want to be in there, he just didn’t really seem to know what to do next… Sean O’Malley just didn’t want to know anymore,” he added, critiquing O’Malley’s will to continue.
As a result of his recent setbacks, O’Malley finds himself in an unfamiliar situation, wrestling with two back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. Compounding the drama, former double champion Henry Cejudo, with whom O’Malley has had a long-standing rivalry, has urged him to consider a retirement fight following this latest defeat. The future remains uncertain for O’Malley as he contemplates his next steps after two overwhelming losses in the bantamweight division.