Sean O’Malley admitted he didn`t anticipate serious danger when Merab Dvalishvili secured a front headlock in the third round, but the fight ended moments later.
This marked a surprising finish for the former bantamweight champion, who tapped out for the first time in his career during the UFC 316 main event rematch against Dvalishvili. Days later, O`Malley and his coach Tim Welch discussed the submission, noting Dvalishvili`s apparent confidence in attacking the neck, a change from their first meeting last September when he seemed more focused on positional control.
Reflecting on the submission on his YouTube channel, O`Malley commented:
“It was weird. 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.”
He continued:
“I was like oh f*ck. I didn’t realize how much time was left, I wish I would have f*cking been in my guard more instead of trying to get up and make something happen. No excuses.”
Unlike their first encounter, which went to a decision, O`Malley acknowledged Dvalishvili`s effective performance in securing the finish in the rematch.
Despite the relatively short time between fights (less than nine months), O`Malley credited Dvalishvili with making key adjustments and appearing even stronger in the rematch.
O`Malley stated:
“He felt strong last time but this time he felt just freakishly strong.”
He added:
“He’s the greatest bantamweight of all time.”
Although the outcome wasn`t what he desired, O`Malley noted his perspective on this loss is quite different from his previous fight against Dvalishvili.
A significant factor is his current health; O`Malley reported feeling physically well after this fight, contrasting sharply with their September meeting which required immediate hip surgery.
This time, O`Malley recognizes the need for adjustments before his next fight, but he feels healthy and content, acknowledging that his overall situation is positive despite the loss.
“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 added:
“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. Kind of onto the next thought, I’m not sitting in that f*cking thought just unravel and go down a negative hole. I still feel very good.”
Having now lost to Dvalishvili twice, O`Malley will clearly face a different opponent next, though he stated he isn`t ready to discuss potential matchups yet.
During the podcast, a friend suggested a fight against Umar Nurmagomedov (who lost a decision to Dvalishvili in January), but O`Malley wasn`t focused on that.
O`Malley emphasized that he primarily wants time to decompress and will consider opponents and his next fight timeline later.
“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.”
