"He looked very nervous" - Sean O’Malley's walkout reminded UFC Hall of Famer of Derrick Lewis' at Houston against Ciryl Gane

Michael Bisping compared Sean O’Malley’s walkout mannerisms at UFC 292 to Derrick Lewis at UFC 265.

On August 19, O’Malley solidified himself as a superstar by securing a TKO finish against Aljamain Sterling to become the UFC bantamweight world champion. Before stepping into the Octagon, ‘Sugar’ was candid about having doubts about the stylistic matchup.

During an episode of the Michael Bisping Podcast, Bisping discussed his opinion about O’Malley looking nervous while walking out at UFC 292. ‘The Count’ also compared the walkout to Derrick Lewis when he fought in front of his home fans against Ciryl Gane at UFC 265.

The UFC Hall of Famer had this to say:

“I thought when he walked out, again, I thought he looked very nervous. I thought, man, it’s not looking good. It reminded me of Derrick Lewis when he walked out in Houston against Ciryl Gane. As soon as he walked onto the Octagon apron, there was a change in his energy.”

Bisping continued by saying:

“He embraced the crowd, and I thought, oh, here we go, he’s back. He’s just taking it all in. He’s in the moment, whatever it is that he’s doing. What a guy, what a performance, and what a champ.”[3:10-3:40]

---

Michael Bisping details what makes Sean O’Malley different

Sean O’Malley has captivated the MMA community since appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series in July 2017. O’Malley’s fighting skills are undoubtedly top-tier, but the “it factor” has led to superstardom for the Montana native.

During the same episode of the Michael Bisping Podcast, ‘The Count’ had this to say about what makes O’Malley different than the rest:

“O’Malley, it was so different. He was stoic, he was cool, he was calm because he knew, right? He knew all along that this was going to happen. That’s how you know that the mental aspect, the fight IQ, the calmness of his mind, is on a different level with this man!”

Sean O’Malley’s win at UFC 292 has placed a massive target on his back in the bantamweight division. It’s unclear who he will defend his throne against first, but there are several options, including Merab Dvalishvili, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera, or an instant rematch against Aljamain Sterling.