Sean O’Malley’s head coach, Tim Welch, broke down their gameplan for the UFC bantamweight champion’s title defense against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.
At UFC 299, O’Malley received a legacy-defining opportunity to avenge his lone loss against Vera and defended his 135-pound throne for the first time. The American superstar passed the test with flying colors by obtaining minimal damage and battering his Ecuadorian rival for five rounds to secure a unanimous decision win.
Tim Welch recently did an interview with the legendary Demetrious Johnson to discuss the UFC 299 main event, what’s next for O’Malley, and more. When asked about the game plan for ‘Chito,’ Welch responded with a detailed explanation:
“[Chito’s] last seven fights, he gives away the first round. You see some of Sean’s pace against Eddie Wineland, even Petr Yan, he’s moving a lot and his pace is so high. I think Jason Parillo and those guys thought he was going to come out with that pace for a five-round fight. I knew if [Chito] comes out and just tries to weather the storm for the first two rounds, if we can really dig and attack his body, once the third, fourth, fifth round comes around, he’s not going to have the gas tank he usually does.”
Welch continued:
“When [Chito] does shell up, he’s not even looking at the person and that was the perfect time to start ripping his body. So, I think those body shots early on really added up for that fourth and fifth round. When he wanted to pick it up, he didn’t have the same juice as he had. I just knew every time we hurt somebody, Sean hurts somebody almost every fight, just to make sure stay composed. You make the read, if he’s really hurt, yeah, try to put him away, but don’t empty your tank. We still got twenty minutes to fight., twenty-five, fifteen minutes to fight. So, don’t empty the tank. Don’t try to knock him out, just touch his face the whole five rounds, and it ended up working out good.”
Watch Welch’s interview with Johnson below:
Tim Welch reveals who he wants Sean O’Malley to fight next
Sean O’Malley called out featherweight champion Ilia Topuria during his UFC 299 post-fight interview in the Octagon. O’Malley later changed his mind about the two-division world champion opportunity and focused on number one bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili, who is riding a ten-fight win streak.
During the previously mentioned interview, Tim Welch had this to say about who he wants O’Malley to fight next:
“Both the fights are just so scary. Fight Ilia [Topuria], you make one mistake with Ilia, you’re gonna lay there flat on your back unconscious. Merab, it’s like he’s five rounds. He’s gonna come in there, and he’s not going to be afraid to try to cover the distance and shoot like we said. I think they are both just such huge problems, but I think Merab. I think Merab deserves it. He’s won ten fights in a row, ten fights in a row in the UFC. Getting ready for a problem like that will be fun.”
Merab Dvalishvili last fought on February 17, defeating Henry Cejudo in a one-sided unanimous decision. The 33-year-old’s combination of wrestling skills and endless cardio would be an intriguing test for Sean O’Malley, but it’s unclear if the UFC plans to book this matchup next.
Watch the interaction between O’Malley and Dvalishvili backstage at UFC 299 below:
“I didn’t know who that was” – Sean O’Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) runs into Merab Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) backstage at UFC 299 😅 pic.twitter.com/DAKEz4he2N
— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) March 10, 2024
