'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
UFC superstar Sean O’Malley doesn’t feel the need to face Pedro Munhoz again. ‘Sugar’ fought veteran bantamweight Munhoz on July 2 at UFC 276.
The fight’s first round was closely contested, with two of the three judges scoring it for Munhoz. However, the fight ended in an anticlimactic fashion in round two, as an eye poke from O’Malley rendered Munhoz unable to continue. The bout was resultantly declared a NC [No Contest].
Following this, several MMA fans lobbied for an immediate rematch between O’Malley and Munhoz. Regardless, O’Malley has repeatedly shot down the idea of possibly fighting 'The Young Punisher' again. ‘Sugar’ reiterated his stance on the latest edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.
When asked if he’d consider a potential rematch with Munhoz at any point, O’Malley stated:
“No, there’s no way. I mean, I’ve seen guys take f**king fingers all the way through their eyes and they continue. They want it. They want to win. Obviously, it was an accident. I just really didn’t feel like that did enough damage to completely stop that fight."
"Just watching it in slow-mo – You know, I don’t even think the groin shot was a n*t shot. Right after that, he was rubbing his eye, which I punched right before that. I don’t think so. There’s no need for that fight to happen again. It’s not like he’s a draw. It’s not like he’s a big name.”
Sean O’Malley, who’s ranked No. 13 in the bantamweight division, noted that people wanted to see him face Munhoz simply because of the latter’s standing as a top ten bantamweight. ‘Sugar’ opined that irrespective of their fight’s disappointing ending, he believes he has won and doesn’t need to face the No.9- ranked Munhoz again.
Watch O’Malley discuss the topic at 27:12 in the video below:
Pedro Munhoz released his UFC 276 medical report to counter Sean O’Malley’s claims
Sean O’Malley has consistently maintained that it was a punch he landed on Pedro Munhoz’s left eye which led to Munhoz's “looking for a way out.” The 27-year-old highlighted that the eye poke he inflicted on Munhoz’s right eye wasn’t severe enough to incapacitate him.
Munhoz fired back by releasing his UFC 276 medical report. The 35-year-old posted an image from the report on Instagram. The report notably mentioned an abrasion to Munhoz’s right cornea, thereby suggesting that the eye poke to the right eye did legitimately hurt him.
Presently, it’s unclear as to whom Munhoz will fight next. Meanwhile, O’Malley is set to face the No.1- ranked bantamweight and former bantamweight champion Petr Yan on October 22 at UFC 280.
