Sean O'Malley has reacted to comments made by UFC newcomer Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett that discredited his wrestling and grappling prowess.
Pimblett became an instant fan favorite when he made his debut at UFC Vegas 36 this past weekend. The Liverpool native knocked out Luigi Vendramini inside the first round. He capped the win off with a great post-fight interview with his compatriot Michael Bisping.
Pimblett has previously discussed Sean O'Malley in an interview with MMA On Point. He called the 135-pound prospect a "bit of a b**** a**." He also had some choice words to say about O'Malley's grappling game, or lack thereof.
Speaking on episode 32 of his YouTube podcast, Sean O'Malley responded to Pimblett's comments by stating:
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"Yeah, I didn't know he was talking s*** about me. That's not very nice... Maybe he just knows that, talk bad about me, it's publicity... He obviously knows what he's doing as far as marketing himself."
Sean O'Malley explains why people believe he can't grapple
Sean O'Malley brushed off much of what Pimblett had to say. However, he did have some comments about the general perception that his grappling is in some way subpar.
He said that because he is typically known to be a striker, people are simply presuming he has poor grappling. However, O'Malley believes he just hasn't had a chance to show it off yet.
"He said I had bad grappling. I wonder why people just assume I have bad grappling. Like, really, in the UFC, I haven't grappled. Like, a little bit against Andre Soukhamthath, like, I swept him with a guillotine, I put him in a triangle, I went for an armbar. My grappling didn't look bad in that fight. That's literally the only fight I've ever grappled... So it's just weird that some people just assume that because I'm a good striker I must be a bad grappler."
Sean O'Malley does not yet have a date set for his return to the UFC octagon. He supposedly received some nerve damage in his knuckle after defeating Kris Moutinho. However, on the podcast, he stated that a fight in December would be ideal for him.
You can check out the full episode of Sean O'Malley's podcast below: