Dana White reacts to Sean O’Malley’s performance against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306: “He looked flat”

Dana White doesn’t believe the best version of Sean O’Malley showed up at UFC 306.

O’Malley put the UFC Bantamweight Championship on the line against Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 306. MMA fans and experts were expecting a classic striker vs. grappler matchup with this one, and it was the grappler who got his way.

“Suga” didn’t have an answer for the pace and takedowns of Dvalishvili. A late body shot from O’Malley hurt Dvalishvili, but it wasn’t enough. O’Malley lost the bantamweight title via unanimous decision.

RELATED: SEAN O’MALLEY ISSUES STATEMENT AFTER UFC 306 TITLE LOSS TO MERAB DVALISHVILI

Dana White Believes Sean O’Malley Looked Off at UFC 306

During the UFC 306 post-fight press conference, Dana White was asked about what transpired in the main event between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili. The UFC boss admitted he didn’t feel O’Malley was on point during the fight (via Damon Martin).

“He looked flat,” White said. “He didn’t look sharp. He didn’t look crisp.”

The now former UFC bantamweight titleholder issued a brief statement on social media. O’Malley said he “overpromised and underdelivered.” He also apologized to those who have supported him.

The next move for O’Malley should be interesting to watch. While an immediate rematch is a possibility, Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov have been jaw-jacking and might be on a path to a title clash.

O’Malley does have some potential new matchups such as Cory Sandhagen, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Henry Cejudo. Petr Yan has also called for a rematch with the “Suga” show.

O’Malley will have some time to assess where he goes from here, as well as work on the areas that gave him problems against Dvalishvili. Whether or not the UFC matchmakers feel the need to throw him right back in a title fight, or give him at least one non-championship bout first remains to be seen.