Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has opened up about his loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316 with a remarkably upbeat attitude, despite surrendering his title.
“I don’t feel sad at all. I still feel very happy,” O’Malley said in a recent interview following the fight. “I feel a little disappointed in the outcome. I feel a little frustrated, but there’s no sadness inside of me.”
The bout, which ended with Dvalishvili securing a rare north-south ninja choke submission in the third round, represented a significant shift from their previous encounter. O’Malley was quick to acknowledge the physical presence his opponent brought to the octagon.
“Different Merab than we fought at the sphere,” O’Malley explained. “He felt different. The size of his legs. He felt freakishly strong. I mean, he felt strong last time, but this time he felt even [stronger].”
Despite the loss, O’Malley maintained his confidence and pointed to the unusual circumstance of not feeling physically battered after the contest.
“I’m not even that sore, which feels weird getting out of a fight and not being like, ‘oh, so sore,'” he said.
The former champion admitted to experiencing unprecedented pre-fight jitters, largely due to concerns about Dvalishvili’s renowned cardio and grappling pressure.
“I definitely felt this kind of nervous feeling that I’m not used to,” O’Malley revealed. “Just because of how the first fight played out, knowing his cardio is so crazy. I was more nervous this fight probably than I’ve ever been.”
Despite the setback, O’Malley remains convinced he can defeat Dvalishvili in a potential future matchup, drawing inspiration from famous MMA rivalries.
“I still know I could beat Merab. There’s still Randy Couture versus Chuck Liddell. Chuck lost the first two,” O’Malley noted, referencing the legendary trilogy where Liddell eventually prevailed after initial defeats.
O’Malley also expressed satisfaction with his own technical improvements, even if they weren’t enough to secure victory this time.
“I feel like I got so much better this fight. I feel like I was able to show that. He just felt so compact and strong in there,” he said.
The submission that ended the contest caught O’Malley by surprise with its effectiveness. “It was weird because I didn’t feel like it was going to be tight. And it just got tight fast. I was like, ‘oh, no.'”
Despite the disappointing result, O’Malley appears focused on moving forward rather than dwelling on the defeat. “I don’t feel like I’m questioning it either. It’s like, alright, on to the next. Let’s go.”
