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#2. UFC bantamweight Sean O'Malley refuses to acknowledge his only loss
Sean O'Malley is among the most exciting young fighters in the UFC. The bantamweight is a finisher with quick and accurate striking. He has won four of his last five fights via TKO. He mixes things up with elbows, kicks, and spinning strikes. He also never shies away from trash talk and has grown into a fan favorite.
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Out of 16 professional fights, he has lost only one. At UFC 252, he went up against Marlon Vera. Both fighters took a kick-heavy approach. Halfway through the first round, O'Malley appeared to sprain his ankle. He soon started having trouble moving around.
Near the end of the round, he slipped, and Vera started landing hard shots from the top position. 'Sugar' did not defend himself adequately as Vera rained down heavy elbows prompting the referee to stop the fight.
O'Malley responds to first career loss:
'Sugar' later revealed that he was unhappy with the stoppage. There was also much controversy surrounding the injury. Many believed he had simply rolled his ankle, while others argued it was the result of Vera's kicks. However, no one questioned the stoppage as O'Malley was hurt and would only have taken more damage had the fight continued.
Since then he has been in denial about the loss and believes that Vera is an inferior fighter. He said the defeat wasn't even legitimate because he had hurt his leg. 'Sugar' has also used the controversy to promote his brand, dropping merchandise with 'undefeated' and 'unranked champ 15' written on them.
#1. Colby Covington blames everyone but himself for his loss at UFC 245
Colby Covington's rise in the UFC has been slow, but over time he has firmly established himself as a top welterweight. 'Chaos' earned his first title shot after beating former UFC champions Robbie Lawler and Rafael Dos Anjos. The buildup to his fight with Usman was bitter. Covington did not hold back in the war of words and declared himself the people's champion.
A quick recap of the buildup to UFC 245:
However, things would not go his way on fight night. Covington started strong and found success early, but Usman rallied back in the third and fourth rounds. Interestingly, both fighters abandoned their world-class wrestling and engaged in a slugfest. In the final round, Usman dropped Covington twice and TKO'd him to win the fight.
'Chaos' stormed off in anger and later said that the referee was biased towards the champion. He also accused 'The Nigerian Nightmare' of pretending to be hit on the groin and taking steroids before the fight. He remained adamant that he would finish Usman in a rematch.
Covington says he is coming for Usman after beating Tyron Woodley:
At UFC 268, he got his rematch and yet again it was a close fight. However, Usman was the better striker and Covington lost again, this time, on points.
