Sean O’Malley and Alexandre Pantoja have revived their feud, with O’Malley recently posting footage of their sparring session from six years ago. O’Malley, the UFC champion at 135 pounds, uploaded a short clip of the session following Pantoja’s defense of his UFC flyweight title against Steve Erceg at UFC 301.
In the video, O’Malley expressed his reluctance to release sparring footage but felt compelled to do so because Pantoja kept mentioning his name. He highlighted that he finished Pantoja with a liver kick in the first round and found it surprising that Pantoja continued to bring up their sparring encounter.
The ongoing rivalry between O’Malley and Pantoja traces back to Pantoja’s victory in the UFC flyweight title in July 2023. After his win, Pantoja took to social media to call out O’Malley, claiming he had defeated him in a sparring session years ago.
However, O’Malley countered this narrative, asserting that he was the one who stopped Pantoja during their spar. Despite Pantoja’s challenge for O’Malley to release the full video, O’Malley has only shared brief snippets, further fueling the controversy between them.
The release of the sparring footage reignited discussions among MMA fans, prompting debates over the authenticity of Pantoja’s claims and O’Malley’s response.
O’Malley’s decision to share the clip reflects his desire to address Pantoja’s persistent references to their past encounter and assert his version of events. Meanwhile, Pantoja’s insistence on O’Malley posting the complete video suggests his eagerness to prove his point and settle the dispute once and for all.
As the feud between O’Malley and Pantoja continues to captivate the MMA community, fans are encouraged to join the conversation on platforms like the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel. The release of the sparring footage adds another layer to the ongoing narrative between these two fighters, leaving fans eagerly anticipating any further developments in their rivalry.
