Sean O'Malley, Daniel Cormier Clear the Air After UFC 333 Comments

Following Petr Yan's successful bantamweight title defense against Merab Dvalishvili in their trilogy bout at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, UFC commentator Daniel Cormier drew criticism from Sean O'Malley and his coach, Tim Welch. During the post-fight broadcast at Etihad Arena, Cormier asked Yan about a potential rematch with Song Yadong, who was sitting cageside. O'Malley and Welch expressed frustration in their reaction videos on YouTube, asserting that "Suga" should be next in line for a title shot because he has defeated both Yan and Song.

To clear the air, Cormier hosted O'Malley on his YouTube channel. The former two-division champion explained that his mention of Song was prompted by the live broadcast production team, which instructed him through his earpiece that Song was in the arena and about to be shown on screen.

During the conversation, O'Malley admitted that he had previously questioned Cormier's personal feelings toward him. "There were times when I felt like, 'Man, does DC not really f*ck with me? Does he want to see me lose?'" O'Malley said. However, the former bantamweight titleholder added that he now understands the realities of long commentary shifts lasting eight to ten hours, acknowledging that broadcast talent can easily make remarks that come off the wrong way.