When Sean O’Malley faces top-ranked bantamweight Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276, he’ll be looking for his fourth straight victory since the lone loss of his career, a first-round TKO defeat at the hands of Marlon Vera in 2020.
If you go by O’Malley’s social media though, you’d think he’s still unbeaten as a professional MMA fighter.
O’Malley repeatedly stated that he does not feel that Vera has lost because of an injury to his leg that occurred just moments before the TKO. The rising star bounced back in 2021, with bonus-winning knockouts to defeat Kris Moutinho and Thomas Almeida. However, Munhoz remains a little puzzled at his attitude regarding the loss.
Speaking on this week’s episode of MMA Fighting podcast Trocacao Franca, Munhoz called the whole situation “ridiculous.”
“He’s from this new generation that is influenced by rappers on social media,” Munhoz said, “so I believe this image of being undefeated is something that defines him as a person and an athlete, but it’s ridiculous. I’m telling you, I think that’s ridiculous. You lose, friend .”
, regardless of whether you were hurt or not.
Munhoz thinks O’Malley’s constant presence on social media, and his “trash talk”, targeting past or future opponents, could indicate insecurity.
“I’ve spent time with many guys that do this trash talk, and they do that as a way to promote themselves, but also as a form of insecurity. They have to talk to believe,” he said. He said, “But I have nothing against him. The times we were next to each other, he was never disrespectful. This is going to be my 19th fight in the organization and I think that every time I’m focusing on my process and daily training, I’m moving closer to my peak performance on fight night.”
At the end of the day Munhoz stated that he does not watch O’Malley’s interviews, and doesn’t lose a single minute of sleep every night because of what the American has to say.
He did, however, laugh hard when O’Malley called him “Prelim Pedro .”
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” I have good relations with UFC staff, and talk directly with Dana White and the matchmakers,” Munhoz stated. This is a business. I sell my fights inside the octagon. In the six last fights I won three Fight of the Night’s and one Performance Bonus. Pay and fights are not something that I feel unfair about. I’ve never asked them more than I’m getting because I’ve always felt it was deserved for my work.
“My first fight in the organization was against Raphael Assuncao on a week’s notice, and he had just won against T.J. Dillashaw. I’ve fought a lot of tough fighters. I fought a lot of tough fighters. Some were on my main card. Others were on the prelims. It’s not something he accepts, it’s something he believes he is special. It’s very important for him to want to be on the maincard. This was something that I and my managers never requested. It’s possible I am wrong but, regardless of whether I was on the main or prelims card, I always return home with the exact same money. But I did laugh a lot when he said ‘Prelim Pedro.'”
Munhoz lost back-to-back decisions to former champions Jose Aldo and Dominick Cruz in his most recent octagon appearances in 2021 following a thrilling victory over Jimmie Rivera, and hopes to stop O’Malley in the second or third rounds at UFC 276.
“I come from a jiu-jitsu background and have been working on my striking for years and showing my evolution on the feet,” Munhoz said. “I believe there’s always room for improvement. His fights have taught me one thing: my endurance is superior to his. In the fights he’s won or lost, he was carried [outside the octagon] or [left] injured, and I think there’s something to do with durability.
“It’s difficult to say [how I’m going to win]. We’ll be fighting everywhere, even though the fight will start on the feet. I’m not going to rush to show my wrestling skills so we can get down to business. While many people believe he has the advantage in technical and reach, I think I have the upper hand on the ground. However, I am certain that I will hurt him on his feet .”
