Coach unconcerned with Sean O'Malley's skid negatively impacting UFC star power
Tim Welch is unconcerned with back-to-back UFC title losses having an impact on Sean O'Malley's star power.
O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) lost to bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili for a second-straight time when he was submitted at UFC 316 earlier this month. Welch expects O'Malley to make a relatively quick turnaround, especially after recently making some lifestyle changes.
"It's so hard to say with him but again, right now we're not going to clubs, we're not f*cking partying, we're saying no to trips," Welch said on his YouTube channel. "So what else are we going to do? We're coming to the gym twice a day, we're going to train, and might as well (fight). Might as well not let these years go by. He's only 30 years old. Might as well just knock them out. Let's just keep knocking them out."
Welch compared O'Malley to Nate Diaz (21-13 MMA, 16-11 UFC) and Jorge Masvidal (35-17 MMA, 12-10 UFC), who both have double-digit losses in the UFC but were still able to headline pay-per-view events. He doesn't expect O'Malley's losing skid to have a negative impact on his career.
"Look at Nate Diaz, how big of a star he is," Welch said. "How many losses does he have? Or Jorge Masvidal, how many losses does he have? They're still just f*cking huge draws, huge stars."
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