Tim Welch, Sean O’Malley’s coach, is confident that ‘Suga’ Sean can overcome the challenge posed by Umar Nurmagomedov. Despite the Dagestani fighter’s formidable reputation and undefeated record, Welch believes there are gaps in his game that previous opponents have yet to exploit.
In a recent discussion, Welch outlined how O’Malley’s skills and strategy could be the key to neutralizing Nurmagomedov’s threats, setting the stage for an exciting potential matchup in the octagon.
While the bantamweight champion at the end of UFC 306 remains uncertain, one thing is clear: the next contender for the title is already in the spotlight.
Nurmagomedov cemented his place as the No.1 contender with an impressive win over Cory Sandhagen. He will face the winner of Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili.
‘Suga’ and his team are confident that not only can they secure a win against Dvalishvili but also Nurmagomedov. His coach shared his thoughts on ‘Young Eagle’ on ‘redcorner.mma.
“Yeah I mean, Umar Nurmagomedov is a serious problem. He is a serious problem for anyone. All those guys can grapple like freaks. Their wrestling is so good. He is a very good striker too. But I do still see holes. I see ways in which Sean can frustrate him and be faster than him and knock him out also…”
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Welch stated that unlike other fighters from Dagestan, ‘Young Eagle’ is an extremely good striker as well, which makes the fight even more difficult. However, he believes that his student’s striking is on a level that very few can come close to 135 pounds.
O’Malley has plans that go way beyond Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov to cement his place amongst UFC greats.
Suga’s three-fight plan
It is no secret that O’Malley was heavily inspired by McGregor to take up the sport and get extremely rich from it. However, unlike his idol, O’Malley stated that he wanted to be successful as a martial artist also.
McGregor won the belt in two divisions but never defended either, while O’Malley has already defended his belt once and aims to win a second one soon.
According to him, he wants to defeat Merab, go up to 145 pounds, beat Topuria to take a second belt, and then come back down to 135 pounds to face Umar.
The 29-year-old feels that these three fights and victories will cement his place as one of the best fighters to ever do it in the UFC, alongside being one of the most successful fighters commercially.
