Coach Tim Welch weighs in on the Alexandre Pantoja – Sean O’Malley sparring controversy: “I don’t even think Sean was a professional yet”

Sean O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch has weighed in on the recent Alexandre Pantoja/O’Malley sparring controversy.

This weekend, Alexandre Pantoja will defend his UFC flyweight championship against Steve Erceg. As you may have heard, though, Pantoja has been talking a great deal in the build-up to this contest.

One comment he’s made is something he’s said before. The champ suggested that in a sparring session many years ago, he beat the aforementioned Sean O’Malley pretty badly.

RELATED: Alexandre Pantoja details the time he “smashed” Sean O’Malley in sparring

‘Suga’ has commented on this already, but now, his head coach Tim Welch has weighed in on the situation.

Welch’s view of O’Malley/Pantoja

“Not really in fight camp at all. Going to sparring maybe to get a few rounds and Henry’s like, ‘Hey, you want to spar this guy?’ So Sean says, ‘Yeah, I’ll spar him.’ They spar one round, Sean comes out off the rip, puts him down. Puts him down in the first minute. Now mind you this is- I don’t even remember what year this is, I don’t even think Sean was a professional yet, he might have been a professional just breaking in.

“Sean comes out there, bounces around, young buck. Boom, hits him with a liver shot, puts him down, Pantoja has to stop, he has to wave it off, go over to Henry, kneel down, call it off. I mean there’s a video, never released video but he puts him down.”

Quotes via MMA News

Regardless of what may or may not have happened in the past, we’d certainly be interested in seeing this superfight in the future.

What do you make of the Alexandre Pantoja/Sean O’Malley situation? What do you expect to be the outcome of this weekend’s UFC 301 main event? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!