UFC bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley was in the middle of an interview when he saw Cody Garbrandt get knocked out in his flyweight debut.
O’Malley and Garbrandt went at it earlier during UFC 269 fight week at the pre-fight press conference, as the two went back-and-forth on the mic and also nearly brawled on stage. O’Malley and Garbrandt were rumored to potentially fight last year, but negotiations never materialized.
Many felt that Garbrandt was the more confident trash talker during the press conference, but O’Malley ended up getting the last laugh after Garbrandt suffered a brutal knockout against Kai Kara-France.
Check out O’Malley’s reaction to Garbrandt’s loss below.
“Oh, Cody. Cody just got knocked out. Sucks for him, deuces,” O’Malley said. “Some people just aren’t built for this.”
Sean O’Malley Later Changed His Tone On Cody Garbrandt
O’Malley and Garbrandt clearly have some disdain for each other, but O’Malley appeared to reverse course during his post-fight press conference. When asked if he saw Garbrandt’s fight, O’Malley took the chance to praise him just minutes after roasting him in an earlier interview.
“Cody’s also a legend in his own right,” O’Malley said. “And I’m not gonna sit up here and say anything negative about him. He’s probably gonna have a rough couple days, couple weeks, whatever it’s gonna be.”
O’Malley remains undefeated in his professional career after knocking out Raulian Paiva at UFC 269. It was arguably the toughest test of his UFC tenure, which he passed with flying colors.
O’Malley has been criticized for the level of competition he’s faced so far at bantamweight. He has yet to crack the bantamweight rankings, as UFC president Dana White recently said he isn’t ready for top-level opponents.
As for Garbrandt, his UFC future remains unclear. His flyweight debut obviously didn’t meet his expectations and he’s suffered a series of brutal knockouts in four of his last six fights.
O’Malley and Garbrandt had once been considered two of the top bantamweight prospects, but it appears the two of them might be heading on different paths in the UFC. O’Malley could earn a spot soon in the bantamweight rankings while Garbrandt is still looking to get back on the winning side of things in the UFC.
What do you think is next for Sean O’Malley and Cody Garbrandt?