Sean O'Malley eats his words about Francis Ngannou's UFC exit; shares unpopular opinion about Tyson Fury fight

Like many, Sean O'Malley had some very strong opinions about the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou boxing match. In fact, 'Sugar' was of the previously popular opinion that Ngannou's UFC exit was a mistake. Now, however, most of the former UFC heavyweight champion's critics have been forced to walk back on their words.

Sean O'Malley falls into that camp, as he admitted to eating his own words in a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, where he was interviewed by Ariel Helwani, who was one of the few MMA figures to throw his support behind Francis Ngannou long before the Cameroonian power-puncher even secured a bout with Fury.

While O'Malley was willing to give credit to Ngannou for taking an enormous risk that ultimately worked out in his favor, he doesn't think that Ngannou won the boxing match against Fury, saying the following:

"I thought Tyson won a boxing match. I thought he won. But I guess, I feel like I'm one of the only ones that think that."

It's a common opinion among both boxers and MMA fighters alike that Francis Ngannou beat Tyson Fury on October 28. However, as Sean O'Malley confessed, he is one of the few fighters who believes that 'The Gyspy King' did enough to earn the judges' nod.

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Sean O'Malley will face Marlon 'Chito' Vera at UFC 299

After months of speculation regarding the opponent that Sean O'Malley will face in his first defense of his UFC bantamweight title, UFC CEO Dana White has announced that 'Sugar' will take on Marlon 'Chito' Vera in a rematch of their UFC 252 encounter three years ago.

The pair will cross swords at UFC 299, which they are expected to headline. It will be O'Malley's first test as a pay-per-view draw after becoming the UFC bantamweight champion. Vera is a foe he's been calling for for some time, ignoring all calls for him to defend his title in a rematch with Aljamain Sterling.