Sean O’Malley is not coping well with his loss against Merab Dvalishvili

Sean O’Malley lost his UFC men’s bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of Noche UFC at The Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 14, and is not taking the loss well.

Since his defeat, O’Malley has gone from being a lovable man to being an unlovable one.

Before we get into the specifics of O’Malley’s behavior after the loss, it’s important to take a look at the definitions of the terms I’ve used to describe O’Malley’s behavior since Noche UFC.

A gracious loser, which is what O’Malley was in the first 24 hours after his loss to Dvalishvili, is defined by the Collins Dictionary and Thought.is as: Someone who accepts defeat with dignity and shows humility and respect for his opponent. He acknowledges the effort and skill of the winner without bitterness or resentment. A gracious loser maintains composure, congratulates the winner, and views the contest as an opportunity to grow and learn.

Immediately after the loss, O’Malley was the poster boy for that definition, clapping as he stood with referee Herb Dean and Dvalishvili while Bruce Buffer read the official result of the new champion’s unanimous decision victory.

This behavior has become a typical characteristic of a fighter who knows that he was beaten fair and square and that his opponent was the better man or woman that night.

Less than an hour after the loss, O’Malley took to social media and told his followers: “I overpromised and underdelivered.”

In his podcast with his coach Tim Welch, Timbo and Suga, O’Malley expressed regret over his performance, repeatedly interrupting his commentary with the words “f###” as he realized the reality of the defeat.

He admitted that he didn’t have much time to mourn the loss of his title immediately after the fight, as he and his team threw a memorable after-party. O’Malley also announced that he would not return to the Octagon for 8-12 months while he recovers, but did not initially give a reason.

Shortly after his podcast episode went live and viral, things started to change in O’Malley’s narrative. And that was the emergence of the persona of the inelegant loser. Merriam-Webster and Cambridge Dictionary define an inelegant loser as someone who does not handle defeat with dignity or respect.

Instead of accepting defeat gracefully, they may look for excuses, blame others, or show disrespect to the winner. An inelegant loser displays negative behaviors such as bitterness, resentment, or poor sportsmanship. An inelegant loser also lacks humility and composure during and after a loss.

O’Malley spoke on the phone with popular streamer Adin Ross during a live stream and announced that he would have to undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum and that is why he would be out of action for such an extended period of time.

Although O’Malley did not directly call it an excuse, it sounds like one and has been interpreted by many people, including UFC CEO Dana White, as the reason for his poor performance against Dvalishvili.

Unfortunately, things went downhill after that. On September 16, O’Malley posted on X, almost jokingly, that the result of the fight had been annulled.

He said: “Suga State Athletic Commission – BREAKING NEWS: Suga has won 2 of the last 3 rounds!! Fight reversed. Suga won!”

At the time, he had not watched the fight, according to his social media channels. On September 19, O’Malley posted that he was “watching the fight again.”

Post by post, O’Malley scored until the fifth round.

Not surprisingly, O’Malley ruled that he had won three of the five rounds and should still be the champion. After the ruling, O’Malley went to X’s Spaces to record audio and discuss it with fans who said the official result was correct.

The tirade continued throughout the day and O’Malley even posted videos of himself saying goodbye to his championship belt, only to regain it seconds later.

O’Malley got a co-signer for his new story from MMA Guru, who released a video breaking down in detail how O’Malley was “robbed.”

Casual MMA also joins the list of people who agree that O’Malley has “valid arguments” for winning three rounds.

All of this is reminiscent of the role of an inelegant loser in defeat. O’Malley disregards Dvalishvili’s efforts and accuses the judges and commentators of creating a false narrative.

O’Malley still calls himself “undefeated,” completely ignoring his loss to Marlon Vera in August 2020. Vera ousted O’Malley from the top spot after O’Malley suffered a leg injury during the fight.

I saw the fight with Dvalishvili live and have been involved in martial arts for 17 years. I have been following martial arts for over 40 years and have observed and analyzed it critically for 30 years. Dvalishvili won the fight. It was not dominance, but he won three rounds to two.

The weakest point in his argument is that O’Malley would have won the first round.

Not only did Dvalishvili trust my eyes, but he also out-punched O’Malley 16 to 14 in significant strikes and 25 to 14 in total strikes, and secured two takedowns. If O’Malley wins this round with this statistical discrepancy, anyone in their right mind will scream that Dvalishvili was the one who got robbed.

Even without the statistical verification, this approach from O’Malley just feels wrong. Even if he rewatched the fight and feels better about his performance than he did initially, having already publicly admitted his defeat, the 180-degree turn feels odd and not exactly authentic.

This approach is reminiscent of a fighter who has become so accustomed to winning and receiving praise and celebration that he has a hard time accepting that things did not go as he imagined on the big stage against a rival he considered superior.

The visuals are bad and it feels like a high-profile version of saving face in 2024.

O’Malley is a good fighter who has the opportunity to think, improve his takedown defense, and get to know a tough freestyle fighter with an A+ grappling game. If he can do that, he could win a rematch against Dvalishvili.

In fact, it seems as if he is fighting the rematch on social media and not, like Vera, waiting for his chance to settle the score in the Octagon.