Sean O'Malley is fighting Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 on Saturday night and former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is fighting Kai Kara-France. But it was O'Malley and Garbrandt who traded barbs and came face-to-face during a Thursday night press conference ahead of the event.
Garbrandt, 30, is set to make his debut at flyweight, dropping down 10 pounds after losing four of his last five fights at bantamweight. The change of weight class seemingly ended the possibility that he'd fight O'Malley, a rising — albeit unranked — star at bantamweight, despite the two frequently bickering on social media.
But even though O'Malley said just last week that his beef with Garbrandt is over due to the change of weight class, it certainly didn't appear to be the case Thursday. (Be aware of the use of inappropriate language in the following video.)
The heat is at an 11, and @DustinPoirier is bringing the hot sauce #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/KX8dAvW5LE
— UFC (@ufc) December 10, 2021
O'Malley, 27, has garnered plenty of attention for his flashy style and brash confidence since entering the UFC in 2017. He has a 6-1 record with the promotion, but is yet to beat a fighter who is currently ranked.
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