Sean O’Malley’s inability to find an answer for Merab Davlisvili’s high-level wrestling cost him his UFC bantamweight title at Noche UFC. Dvalishvili neutralized O’Malley’s class-apart striking with his well-timed takedowns, subjecting him to a unanimous decision defeat.
Recently, O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, revisited his disciple’s Noche UFC (UFC 306) loss against Dvalishvili. Besides several other factors, Welch also counted The Sphere venue of Noche UFC as a key factor behind his loss.
The Sphere’s Environment Affected Sean O’Malley Adversely, Said ‘Sugar’s’ Coach
O’Malley is reputed to be one of the best strikers on the current UFC roster. “Sugar” has provided fans with multiple showdowns of his striking mastery inside the Octagon. O’Malley claimed the UFC bantamweight gold at UFC 292 largely because of his striking pedigree. The Montana native knocked down his rival, Aljamain Sterling, with a thunderous right hook in the second round. A few following strikes led him to a TKO victory in the fight.
O’Malley locked horns with Dvalishvili after earning his first title defense against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. The end of the encounter marked the conlusion of the 30-year-old’s reign over the division, as all three of the judges at Octagon-side scored the fight against O’Malley.
The former bantamweight king got controlled on the ground by Dvalishvili’s dominant wrestling, which stands as the primary reason behind his defeat. However, in a recent interview with “ESPN MMA,” his coach Welch accepted that there were several other factors behind O’Malley’s loss.
He said, “I just think it was meant to happen. I have rewatched that fight so many times in slow-mo. There were tons and tons of shots that barely missed by inches, that would have completely changed the fight.”
Additionally, The 35-year-old also counted ‘The Sphere’s’ unique environment as one of the key factors behind his disciple’s defeat. “I think a lot of it [O’Malley’s defeat] had to with The Sphere and the lighting [and environment].”
Many other factors also play a pivotal part in determining the outcome of a fight apart from the skills of the combatants. The Sphere’s unique setup seemed to have an adverse effect on O’Malley.
In most UFC venues, the Octagon is surrounded by audiences with the big screen suspended from the roof of the arena. However, almost one-half of the space outside the Noche UFC Octagon is occupied by ‘The Sphere’s’ 16K resolution wraparound interior LED screen, which according to Welch, contributed handily to his disciple’s defeat.
It will be interesting to witness if O’Malley manages to avenge his Noche UFC loss in his rematch against Dvalishvili at UFC 316. More so, since the fight is scheduled to happen at the Prudential Center at Newark, New Jersey, in a usual setup for UFC PPVs.