White: O'Malley 'looked flat' in UFC 306 loss

UFC CEO Dana White was critical of Sean O'Malley's performance against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 on Saturday.

O'Malley dropped the bantamweight title to Dvalishvili in a lopsided unanimous decision defeat. The fight headlined the promotion's highly anticipated debut event at Sphere in Las Vegas.

"(O'Malley) looked flat," White said at the postfight press conference. "He didn't look sharp, he didn't look crisp - until the last round."

Dvalishvili used his trademark wrestling to suffocate O'Malley on the ground, completing six takedowns over 25 minutes. O'Malley's biggest moment came late in the fifth round when he hurt Dvalishvili to the body with a front kick. But Dvalishvili fended O'Malley's attempt at a Hail Mary finish and sealed the victory.

Dvalishvili also outstruck O'Malley 82-47 in significant strikes.

"(O'Malley) hurt (Dvalishvili) with that body shot," White said. "He knew he hurt him with the body shot, and he kept going in and trying to finish. But I looked at the punch stats. There was like six in a couple of the rounds."

O'Malley addressed the loss on X after not giving a postfight interview in the Octagon.

"Over promised, underdelivered," O'Malley wrote. "Sorry. Love you guys."

O'Malley emerged as one of the biggest stars in the UFC when he knocked out Aljamain Sterling to win the 135-pound title in August 2023. "Suga" further solidified his star power with a dominant victory over Marlon "Chito" Vera in his first title defense at UFC 299 in March. With his popularity rising, it was no surprise the promotion picked O'Malley to headline its inaugural event at Sphere, the groundbreaking, immersive venue that opened last fall.

However, White dismissed the notion that O'Malley's performance may have been affected by the pressure that comes with being the face of the card.

"You'd have to ask him that. I don't know the answer to that question," White said. "But I think that he's one of those kids that lives for moments like this. This is what he's all about. He's that guy. I don't know if he just got in there tonight and fell flat. Some nights, it's just - it is what it is."

The loss to Dvalishvili was just the second of O'Malley's professional MMA career.