Latest news with #TheSugaShow
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Chael Sonnen says Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov best bout in 2025, 'a star was made'
Chael Sonnen thinks Merab Dvalishvili had a breakout moment at UFC 311. UFC bantamweight champion Dvalishvili handed Umar Nurmagomedov his first-career loss in their title fight in January. Not only was he an underdog in the fight, but he had to rally after losing the first two rounds on two of the three judges' scorecards. Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) grew in confidence throughout the fight, and even showboated on numerous occasions against Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision win. That's why this matchup gets Sonnen's pick for the Fight of the Year so far. "I do got to go with Merab and Umar. A star was made," Sonnen said on "Good Guy/Bad Guy" with Daniel Cormier. "The audience did not care about Merab at that point. Just to share for you that specific night, he had to jerk the curtain before 'Money' (Renato) Moicano, he was not a main event style fighter, and he was supposed to lose that fight. I think he was close to a 3-1 underdog and, in fact, Merab was losing that fight until he wasn't. "He came back, he started showboating, things that people generally have been annoyed when Merab does, they started to get behind him. The audience started to get into it, they started to understand Merab, and at the end of those 25 minutes not only had he solidified and clarified that he is the best in the world, he also won over the people, and that's a very difficult thing to do." Dvalishvili has since notched his second title defense by submitting Sean O'Malley in the UFC 316 main event, defeating "The Suga Show" for a second time.
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Sean O'Malley excited to see how Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov rematch would go
Sean O'Malley excited to see how Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov rematch would go With Umar Nurmagomedov giving UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili his toughest test in years, Sean O'Malley would love to see them run things back. Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defeated O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) a second time by submitting him in this past Saturday's UFC 316 main event. Prior to that, Dvalishvili retained his title against Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, where he handed him his first loss. Dvalishvili had to rally against Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) after losing the first two rounds on two of the three judges' scorecards. Nurmagomedov revealed that he broke his hand early, which has O'Malley wondering how a rematch would go. "I feel like the Umar fight was very interesting," O'Malley said on his YouTube channel. "If Umar really broke his hand in the first round. I remember watching that first round and was like, 'Oh, f*ck, Umar is doing good.' But also that's just how good Merab is. I'm excited to see how that plays out, too." O'Malley's co-host suggested he face Nurmagomedov next, but "The Suga Show" is looking to take some time off and doesn't want to think about who's next. "Umar is f*cking super skilled. Everybody in the top 10, top 15 is so skilled," O'Malley said. "It's nice to not think about a fight right now because I do want to just chill for a few weeks. It's way better. Even if the UFC said, 'We know what we want to do (with you next),' I don't even want to know right now. Just let me chill for five."
USA Today
10-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Aljamain Sterling: Sean O'Malley won't get another 'layup' after UFC 316 loss
Aljamain Sterling: Sean O'Malley won't get another 'layup' after UFC 316 loss Aljamain Sterling thinks Sean O'Malley won't be getting any more favorable matchups from the UFC. O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) suffered his second straight loss to bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) when he was submitted in Saturday's UFC 316 main event. Sterling (24-5 MMA, 16-5 UFC) has been very vocal about O'Malley's road to the top, which saw him jump from a controversial win over Petr Yan at UFC 280, to a title fight against him at UFC 292. O'Malley knocked out Sterling to claim the bantamweight title. But now that O'Malley has lost to the champion two-straight times, Sterling says "The Suga Show" will have to face the top contenders at bantamweight, which may not be favorable stylistic matchups for him. "The UFC is probably not going to do him another layup favor in terms of stylistic matchup," Sterling said on his YouTube channel. "He's going to have to fight the toughest guys at this point. I'm curious to see what is he going to look like in his approach, what is he going to change, and will people look at his style now, and realize what I've been saying from before years ago: He's good, but there's a couple of things. His style is very good and catered to winning against guys who are stationary fighters, and they don't move a whole lot and predominantly not a grappler – and he looks like a world beater. "Now we've seen with some opposition and everyone kind of figuring him out, in the top five we know is a different ball game. Just like the Yan fight when he went from Pedro Munhoz to Yan. So, I'm curious to see how he's going to bounce back. Even if he loses the next one, will it be a good performance? Because if he stays the same, a lot of people realize he's good, but if you do X, Y and Z like Mario Bautista, those are tough fights for you. Kyler Phillips, those are tough fights for you. Merab, Umar (Nurmagomedov), those are tough fights. Even a Petr Yan, who's a little bit more stationary, but once he gets moving and starts putting those hands on you, it's a tougher fight for him." Sterling, who initially threw his own name in the hat, had a few suggestions of who the UFC could match O'Malley up with next. "The only person I can think of stylistically which would be a relatively favorable fight for him would be a guy like Patchy Mix," Sterling continued. "Maybe Aiemann Zahabi because Aiemann's kind of just in the pocket with you. Those would be some good stylistic fights for him. Give him Song Yadong."
USA Today
09-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Daniel Cormier: 'It doesn't get easier for Sean O'Malley' after UFC 316 title loss
Daniel Cormier: 'It doesn't get easier for Sean O'Malley' after UFC 316 title loss Daniel Cormier thinks Sean O'Malley now faces a tough road back to the UFC title. O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) lost to bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) for the second-straight time when he was submitted in Saturday's UFC 316 headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. O'Malley lost in more definitive fashion after dropping their first fight at UFC 306 by unanimous decision. Cormier says O'Malley finds himself in a quandary, as he'll have to face murderer's row at bantamweight if he wants to re-insert himself in the title picture. "He just lost to the champion twice," Cormier said of O'Malley on ESPN's SportsCenter. "Until there's a changeover, it'll be hard for Sean O'Malley to work his way back into a title opportunity, and he might find himself standing across from Umar Nurmagomedov. "It doesn't get easier for 'The Suga Show.' But Merab Dvalishvili really showed he is the cream of the crop at 135 pounds, and he did it better than before. He was more dominant than before, and he finished him. If Merab starts to finish guys, he is a real problem in the UFC." O'Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling to claim the bantamweight title at UFC 292. He successfully defended his belt against Marlon Vera at UFC 299, before losing it to Dvalishvili at UFC 306.
USA Today
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Sean O'Malley defends fighter pay: 'I wouldn't have this following without the UFC'
Sean O'Malley defends fighter pay: 'I wouldn't have this following without the UFC' Sean O'Malley understood at an early age that if he wanted to make a lot of money fighting, he had to build his brand. O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is widely considered one of the biggest stars on the UFC roster. He is aware of the criticism surrounding fighter pay in the UFC, but thinks fighters have to take some control over that. "People complain, 'I'm only getting paid 10 and 10,' ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win) but in reality, who's there to see you fight? Your mom, your dad, your sister, a couple buddies – no one's really going to pay to watch you on TV," O'Malley said on Johnson's YouTube channel. "You have to build your name up to bring value to the UFC, to whatever promotion you're in. It's tricky because it's such a dangerous thing to do and make money. It depends how you look at it if you're making $50,000 which isn't a ton of money, but it's also you're doing what you love to do and chose to do. "If you don't want to make $50,000 a fight, go work at Target. No one's forcing you to fight. You don't have to fight. I don't have to work 9-5. I started out $10/10. I was lucky to have Snoop Dogg blow up when I knocked out (Alfred) Khashakyan (on DWCS). I had some sweet knockout, so I had some steam. I was able to go from $10/10, to $20/20. I was able to progress pretty fast. But also, there were times where I was like, 'I feel like I need to be making more, but I'm not going to make an issue about it because that's not going to help anybody.'" O'Malley will look to reclaim his bantamweight title when he runs things back with Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 316 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. O'Malley explains how building his own social media early in his career paid dividends. "Tim is the one who actually told me to get an Instagram (account) when I moved down here," O'Malley said. "I think I was 18 or 19. He was like, 'Hey, you've got to get an Instagram.' So I got an Instagram. I don't know what it was that made me think – I guess I always wanted to be different. Actually (rapper) 6ix9ine was the hair inspiration, the rainbow hair. It was such a character. It was captivating. "I was like, if I do my hair, people are going to freak out. The first time I did my hair was the Eddie Wineland fight. The hair plus that knockout was a recipe for success. The UFC loved the hair. ... Every single fight was a new hair, so that helped a lot. But it always comes down to the performances. People want to see people get knocked out." "The Suga Show" looks at his career in the UFC as a partnership – one he was able to benefit from plenty. "I still make, I don't know exactly, but probably about the same amount of money outside the UFC as I do inside the UFC right now," O'Malley said. "It's wild to think about. ... But I know the reason I'm making that much is because of the UFC. I wouldn't have this following without the UFC. It was very mutual. I've done a lot for the UFC, but they don't need me. At this point, I could probably be done fighting, live fine, whatever, so I don't want to say I need the UFC. But for me to get to where I want to go, I need the UFC."
