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Sean O'Malley's coach: Knocking out Umar Nurmagomedov 'would just put him on another level again'
08/06/2024 05:50 PM
Coach Tim Welch thinks Sean O'Malley taking out Umar Nurmagomedov would elevate him to even further heights.
Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) outworked Cory Sandhagen to become No. 1 contender Saturday in the UFC on ABC 7 headliner. O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) puts his bantamweight title on the line vs. Merab Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) on Sept. 14 in the UFC 306 main event.
Welch sees a potential fight with Nurmagomedov as career-changing for his star pupil.
“Umar is well rounded. He kicks a lot, he trains with the Nurmagomedovs, he’s a serious problem for sure,” Welch told Submission Radio. “For Sean, he always wants the biggest fights that are going to bring the most eyes and the biggest challenge.
“Right now, Merab. Two undefeated guys and having it be a Nurmagomedov name, that’s a huge, huge challenge and something that would get Sean fired up, because if he KO’d Umar, that would put him on another level again.”
Welch was impressed with Nurmagomedov’s performance. Even though Sandhagen showed resistance in numerous grappling exchanges, Nurmagomedov was also able to find success on the feet.
“It was his first time fighting someone in the top 10 and taking on Cory Sadhagen, who is a monster,” Welch said. “He’s an expert striker, he’s an expert with his grappling, and I was a little bit surprised with how good Umar’s timing was,” Welch said. “His timing on his takedowns was so good, and he was getting into his double legs. He was getting into his single legs, high-crotches.
“Cory did defend him early on and when you defend someone’s shots like that early on, it can break people mentally. But he kept up the pace. He stayed sharp and disciplined for five rounds and was able to take out Cory Sandhagen. So, that was a huge win for him, huge statement in his hometown, too. Now he’s (18-0) and he’ll probably move into the top three in the bantamweight division. That was definitely surprising by him, and it just shows how skilled he is.”
