Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh breaks down what really happened to Sean O’Malley at UFC 252
Sean O’Malley was one of UFC’s fastest rising stars before UFC 252 last Saturday.
The bantamweight was a perfect 12-0 heading into his fight vs Marlon Vera, and with a few walk-off knockouts to his name he was starting to generate some real buzz.
Sean O’Malley delivered on his promise for a viral knockout at UFC 250
Unfortunately for Suga Sean, he was knocked out late in the first round of his bout against Vera in Las Vegas.
The way the stoppage happened caused a fair amount of debate among fans online, as O’Malley appeared to roll his ankle prior to the shots that ended the fight.
It’s an injury that he has suffered before – back in 2018 – and many thought this was simply a re-occurrence.
However, Conor McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, says a calf kick from Vera earlier in the round did the damage which meant O’Malley couldn’t plant his foot.
“Leg kick directly onto right common personal nerve resulting in inability to dorsiflex ankle. An increasingly common attack in MMA,” wrote Kavanagh on Twitter.
After the fight, Vera admitted he had targeted O’Malley with kicks and the gameplan had paid off.
“When he was throwing kicks at me, he landed one calf kick and I made an adjustment and then checked one,” Vera said. “My foot hurts every single fight.
“He has a big right hand. I was thinking, in the first round, let’s see what he’s got. He has a lot of hype, good for him. But he doesn’t have the dog in him that I have.”
O’Malley was left clutching his ankle after suffering defeat
Furthermore, Vera credited Joe Rogan of all people for helping him secure such a big win.
Rogan has one of the most successful podcasts in the world right now on top of commentating for UFC, and some advice he dished out on there really struck a chord with Vera.
“Joe Rogan has the best advice – don’t read comments, don’t read negativity,” added the fighter. “I feed myself with positivity, my family, my friends. I know who are the real fans, who are the hardcore ones.
Marlon Vera upset O’Malley at UFC 252
“I don’t have time to be going back and forth with people, those guys are empty guys. Every time you answer them, they win, if you don’t answer them, you’re winning in life, so I’m in a good spot.
“I’ve said this before the fight, I’ll say this right now, I’m in good spirits. I’m a person that works hard for me, for my family, for my country and when you work the way I work, your dreams come true.”
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