Image – MMA Fighting

Dethroned

The Suga Show recap isn’t a quick one. A lot of fights, and maybe even more words, let up to his recent loss. At UFC 306, the confident, outspoken “Suga” Sean O’Malley lost decisively to Merab Dvalishvili.  In light of his bold pre-fight predictions , the MMA community has quickly panned his performance.  To be sure, Merab dominated the matchup.  Yet, when considering the surrounding circumstances, O’Malley fans can take some solace in his previous performances.

Expectations

For starters, Merab’s style posed an obvious problem for the Suga Show.  Even compared to other wrestlers, Merab is a stand out.  His fight against Petr Yan should have put everyone on notice, dominating him with sheer output.  For reference, O’Malley barely edged a decision over Yan that many thought he lost.  

Image – Fighters Only

Of course, Merab is not a perfect fighter.  Many pointed to the fact that both Marlon Moraes and Henry Cejudo rocked him.  Considering O’Malley’s striking skills, they surmised that Sean could quickly finish Merab.  True, early knockouts are always possible, especially for a fighter like Sean.  But this win condition has a narrow window, and depends on too many uncertainties to be reliable.  

In addition, the community perhaps overemphasized the first round of Merab’s fight against Cejudo, a fight that Merab largely dominated.  Considering Cejudo’s wrestling credentials, Merab’s grappling dominance was stunning to watch.  Although O’Malley had shown respectable takedown defense, Merab’s attacks would challenge him like never before.  

O’Malley had himself come off a dominant win against Marlon Vera.  In that fight, he had to compete for five hard rounds.  While impressive, five rounds against Merab requires a much higher pace than a fight against “Chito.”  This proved to be the case, as Sean struggled to maintain his effectiveness throughout the fight.

The Fight

Ultimately, the fight’s outcome should not prove too surprising.  O’Malley had opportunities to implement his skills, but Merab strategized accordingly to neutralize him.  Merab showed much improved defense and awareness, avoiding most of O’Malley’s biggest shots.  Rather than using pure output as he did against Yan, Merab timed his takedowns and controlled Sean with greater efficiency.  

Expectations aside, Sean had some great moments in this fight.  During the few striking exchanges, he landed hard strikes on Merab, including a standing knee.  In the final round, he even hurt Merab with a teep kick.  For all of Merab’s dominance, the fight very well could have gone the other way if one round went differently.  

The Future

As history shows, regaining the belt is difficult.  This loss further shows how short championship windows in MMA can be.  With Umar Nurmagomedov on the rise, and challengers like Cory Sandhagen still lurking, O’Malley faces a tough road back.  But make no mistake, he fought a competitive five rounds against a seemingly unstoppable force in Merab. Suga Sean O’Malley undoubtedly still has the skills to threaten anyone in the weight class. Love him or hate him, O’Malley undeniably brings excitement to a stacked bantamweight division.

Image – UFC.com