Sean O’Malley is not completely satisfied.
The former bantamweight champion returned to the win column at UFC 324, where he was among the biggest names tasked with kicking off the promotion’s new era on Paramount+.
Before Justin Gaethje beat Paddy Pimblett in the main event to be crowned new interim lightweight champion, O’Malley got the better of Song Yadong in a close three-round co-headliner.
That result saw ‘Suga’ bounce back from consecutive defeats against Merab Dvalishvili, but he no doubt would have liked a more decisive victory at T-Mobile Arena.
And that is especially the case after he rewatched the fight and saw what fans have been talking about.
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Did 'Suga' do enough to earn a rematch at UFC 324? Let us know in the comments.
Sean O’Malley wishes he let his hands go more at UFC 324
O’Malley earned the nod on all three scorecards at UFC 324, but not everybody agreed with the decision.
Some believe the Chinese star did enough, a viewpoint that the American ex-champ did not even entertain until he sat down and watched back his performance.
During a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, O’Malley said he wishes he did more after seeing a less dominant display than he had thought at the time.
“I rewatched it, and I’m like, f—, I could have let my hands go a little more,” O’Malley said.
“Right after the fight, I thought there was a zero percent chance I lost. I was convinced I won that f—— fight.
“Now, looking back after hearing everyone’s perspective and rewatching the fight, I was like, damn,” he continued. “It’s crazy, because in there, he didn’t hit me at all.”
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Song Yadong had the chance to retire Sean O’Malley at UFC 324
O’Malley’s triumph at UFC 324 was a crucial one in the context of his ongoing ambitions of a second bantamweight title reign. But the stakes in Las Vegas may have been even higher than most realized.
During the same interview with Helwani, O’Malley admitted he could have retired if the Chinese star was able to get the better of him and extend his losing skid to three straight fights.
“Realistically you never know,” O’Malley said. “If I would have lost, I’d be like these weight cuts suck, ‘F’ this.
“I don’t know if I would have been like that but it’s possible. I’m going to retire when I feel like OK, it’s time. If I would have lost, it could have been (my final fight). I have such a good life back home, I could have just been like you know what (it’s time).
“That was a scary thought going into this fight that I even had that thought in my mind,” he continued. “Because it’s like, how bad do I really want this?”
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