UFC 276: Sean O’Malley says no contest was ‘best case scenario’ for Pedro Munhoz, slams ‘drunk’ Henry Cejudo after backstage run-in
- O’Malley says he was ‘dominating’ main card fight with Munhoz, which ended in a no contest after an illegal eye poke
- American bantamweight claims he had altercation with former champ Cejudo in Las Vegas
Sean O’Malley did not get the win he sought at UFC 276 on Saturday night, but you would not know it listening to him talk.
The 27-year-old American bantamweight was back in action in the opening bout of the main card, taking on No 9-ranked contender Pedro Munhoz, 35. It was the American’s first fight with a top-10 opponent, and his opportunity to debut on that list himself.
Unfortunately, the fight ended in disappointment when Munhoz could not continue after absorbing an accidental O’Malley eye poke in round two.
The fight will not appear as a win or loss on either man’s record, but O’Malley (15-1) seems to consider it a victory all the same.
“I was dominating that fight,” he told reporters in a backstage interview. “I didn’t get hit one time. I was dominating. I was piecing him up. I was finding my range.
“It’s a weird feeling because I do feel like I won the fight, but it’s not like the emotions of winning the fight. I really believe that was best case scenario for Pedro.”
There was immediate chatter about a potential rematch between O’Malley and Munhoz (19-7), but the American was non-committal on that possibility, claiming that his foe was “100 per cent” looking for a way out of their fight.