It would not be far off to say that the performance of Sean O'Malley at Noche UFC (UFC 306) was perhaps the worst he's ever had in the Octagon — and it ultimately cost him the UFC bantamweight championship.
O'Malley appeared to struggle with the pressure and takedowns brought on by Merab Dvalishvili as the two faced off in the main event at the Sphere. Though "Suga" gave the Georgian some trouble in the fight's final round, Dvalishvili ended up scoring a unanimous decision to win the title.
Not long after the loss, O'Malley made a brief statement on social media, noting the disappointment left in his performance and the result.
"Over promised under delivered. Sorry. Love you guys," O'Malley wrote.
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Sean O'Malley Admits Bad Night, Dana White Says He Looked 'Flat'
Though there were bizarre circumstances at the start of the fight, the opening rounds saw Dvalishvili make a statement with several takedowns and a couple of guillotine attempts that troubled O'Malley. The defending champ landed the fight's strongest strikes toward the end of the third round, but that was after another four minutes of grappling masterclass from the Georgian.
Several front kicks to the midsection left Dvalishvili hurt and in danger in the fifth round, but O'Malley did not turn up the intensity, and it was too little, too late.
Even UFC CEO Dana White noted the poor performance from O'Malley, saying he looked "flat."
He didn't look sharp. He didn't look crisp," White said at the UFC 306 post-fight press conference.
Dvalishvili has now won 11 straight fights after dropping his first two Octagon outings. He also gained an ounce of revenge for his teammate and good friend Aljamain Sterling, who O'Malley knocked out at UFC 292 to capture the bantamweight gold.
O'Malley retained the title once, defeating Marlon "Chito" Vera at UFC 299 in March.