Sean O'Malley's Coach Thinks Daniel Cormier Has a Grudge Against Sugar

Tim Welch, who has coached Sean O'Malley for years, believes that former UFC champion and commentator Daniel Cormier might hold a personal grudge against "Sugar." Welch said, "It's always seemed like 'DC' has a little something against 'Sugar,' and he doesn't like seeing him win."

Background: UFC 333 Bantamweight Title Fight

At UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, Petr Yan solidified his status as the bantamweight champion by defeating Merab Dvalishvili in their trilogy bout. After struggling through the first two rounds due to Dvalishvili's pressure, Yan came back strong with sharp boxing and powerful body kicks, winning the last three rounds. This victory gave Yan a 2-1 lead in their series and reclaimed the title from "The Machine" after a dominant win the previous year.

Who’s Next for Petr Yan?

After Yan's win, speculation arose over who would challenge him next. Instead of naming Sean O'Malley—who many expected given his wins over both Song Yadong and Yan—Cormier suggested a rematch between Yan and Song Yadong. Song had recently knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Shanghai in August, and Yan had beaten Song by unanimous decision earlier in 2024. Welch found Cormier's suggestion puzzling.

Welch Questions Cormier's Motives

On The Ariel Helwani Show, Welch expressed his confusion about Cormier’s choice and said he plans to speak with him. Welch pointed out, "If you look back this year, Sugar has his hand raised in a unanimous decision versus Song Yadong. Then at UFC 299, Petr Yan defeated Song Yadong. So I’m curious if someone was in Daniel Cormier’s ear because Song was there, but I don’t think that was the case. I think DC was pushing for Song because maybe deep down Suge rubs him the wrong way. Past little comments. I don’t know. We’re going to get to the bottom of it when I talk to him. I’m curious, and I could be totally wrong with that, but it’s always seemed like DC has a little something against Sugar, and he doesn’t like seeing him win."

Welch added that Cormier might have thought Yan won the first fight against Sugar because of takedowns.

O'Malley’s Chances at the Next Title Shot

Welch is confident that O'Malley won’t miss out on a future title shot. Their first encounter, a split decision win for O'Malley at UFC 280 in late 2022, earned Fight of the Night honors. Both fighters have grown in reputation since then.

Welch said, "The UFC knows what the biggest fight is, and they know how sweet of a fight this is going to be. And if you want to see Song and Petr fight, go watch their UFC 299 fight. It wasn’t the most exciting thing. It was still a sick fight, but I was more surprised that Petr Yan wasn’t calling for the Sugar rematch more. If there were pay-per-view points involved, I’m sure he would have been calling for it a lot more. But now that there aren’t, he sees Song Yadong as an orthodox boxer who will stand there and sit in the pocket with him. He thinks of Suge, and he remembers how Suge made him feel in that cage. He couldn’t track Suge down. It was hard for him. That was the first time Petr’s shot [takedowns] that many times in a fight ever in his career, I’m pretty sure. I’m sure Petr Yan remembers how that felt."

Impact of Yan vs. Dvalishvili 3 on O'Malley

Dvalishvili defeated O'Malley twice, including a title-winning bout in September 2024 and a rematch that kept O'Malley from another immediate title shot. Yan’s recent victory reopened the door for O'Malley to face him again.

Welch on the Challenge Ahead

Welch spoke candidly about the difficulty of facing Yan, whom he respects greatly. "It’s scary, because [O'Malley] is one of my best friends," Welch said. "Yeah, I’m his coach, but being locked in the cage with Petr Yan for five rounds is a scary thing, but I do think Suge poses a lot of problems for him."