“Wake up a new demon,” Sean O’Malley’s coach optimistic about future despite big grappling weakness

Former UFC bantamweight champion, Sean O'Malley's coach Tim Welch guarantees a better grappler after UFC 306 loss to Merab Dvalishvili.

“Wake up a new demon,” Sean O’Malley’s coach optimistic about future despite big grappling weakness

Tim Welch on Sean O'Malley (Image via X)

Sean O’Malley recently lost his UFC bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. Coach Tim Welch got a lot of heat online for ‘poor coaching’ and ‘corner work’. However, Welch has assured fans that the former bantamweight champion will return a stronger and better grappler.

Sean O’Malley‘s long-time coach Tim Welch recently sat down for an episode of Red Hawk Recap. He was joined by the MMA Guru, Joe Riggs, and producer Schmitty who recently went viral for his outburst on the Timbo Suga Show. There they talked about O’Malley’s title loss at UFC 306. Welch revealed that they would work out ways to “create scrambles” off the takedowns that cost ‘Suga’ his bantamweight title.

I swear. I truly believe that it's going to light a fire. And it's going to wake a whole new demon from Sean.
Tim Welch on Red Hawk Recap
YouTube video

At UFC 306, Sean O’Malley lost his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili via unanimous decision. The fight took place in Las Vegas. It was largely dominated by Dvalishvili, who imposed his wrestling and high-pressure pace throughout the fight. O’Malley managed to hurt Dvalishvili in the final round with body kicks, but it was not enough to sway the judges’ decision. 

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Initially, O’Malley seemed to take the loss in stride. He expressed his disappointment in not delivering on his promise but assured fans that he would come back stronger. However, in the days following the fight, O’Malley began to question the decision. He took to social media, arguing that he won three of the five rounds and contested the narrative that he had been dominated.

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Ilia Topuria declares Sean O’Malley is no longer on his level to deserve a fight

UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria recently shut down speculation about a potential fight with Sean O’Malley, following O’Malley’s defeat at UFC 306. Before the event, there was buzz around the possibility of a super fight between Topuria and O’Malley. The idea of a champion vs. champion fight was intriguing to many fans.

Ilia Topuria on Sean O'Malley
Ilia Topuria on Sean O’Malley (Image via Imago)

However, O’Malley’s loss has essentially ended the momentum for that matchup. In an interview via Marca following UFC 306, Topuria made it clear that he has no interest in pursuing a fight with O’Malley now. He argued that there is no point in fighting someone who is not at his level. 

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You get defeated even before you get into the Octagon with me. I don’t even need to get in there for people to know that I’m better than you.
Ilia Topuria on Marca

Instead, Topuria has shifted his attention to his upcoming title defense against Max Holloway at UFC 308 this October. This fight is seen as a major test for Topuria, as Holloway is a UFC legend and former champion. For now, Topuria is focused on adding another significant name to his resume, rather than entertaining the idea of a fight with O’Malley.