Newly crowned bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley shared his thoughts about Paddy Pimblett fighting Tony Ferguson and why he feels it does nothing for the rising star.
Sean O’Malley and Paddy Pimblett have both been rising superstars in the UFC, with O’Malley recently realizing that potential at UFC 288 when he won the bantamweight championship with a spectacular KO of Aljamain Sterling. The two have had positive interactions before and seem to be on good terms, however, O’Malley disagrees with Pimblett’s next matchup. O’Malley went on his podcast and talked about how he feels Pimblett is in a bad situation against a tough opponent.
Sean O’Malley Feels Paddy Pimblett Won’t Get Credit
“Initial reaction, I’m like, ‘Goddamn, that’s a lose-lose for Paddy,’” O’Malley said. “You go out there and beat Tony—who’s really good, but on a six-fight losing streak—so if you beat him, you’re not going to get credit for beating f*cking Tony Ferguson. You’re going to get credit for beating a guy that’s like, you should beat him, but it’s a dangerous fight. It’s not that easy of a fight. It’s going to be a tough fight. Tony could 100 hundred percent win this fight. Now you’re coming off a loss to a guy—I mean, at least it’s still T-Ferg, but it’s like, is it T-Ferg?”
Quotes via LowKickMMA
O’Malley definitely makes a good point, as part of Ferguson’s losing streak comes at the hands of top lightweights like Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, and Michael Chandler. Although Pimblett has yet to face someone on the level of Tony Ferguson, the decline in his game is hard to ignore.
O’Malley plans to return early next year in a rematch against his only loss in MMA, Marlon “Chito” Vera. Pimblett will look to extend his undefeated run against Tony Ferguson at UFC 296 in December.
What do you think about Suga Sean’s take on Pimblett vs. Ferguson? Is it a tougher matchup than it seems? Let us know in the comments below!
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