Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Cody Garbrandt during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Cody Garbrandt Has Some Harsh Words For Sean O’Malley After His Rematch Loss At UFC 316

Cody Garbrandt takes a verbal jab at Sean O'Malley and his recent performance against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316!

Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Cody Garbrandt during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Cody Garbrandt and Sean O’Malley represent two very different eras of the division, but their paths have crossed in heated exchanges.Garbrandt burst onto the scene with his lightning-fast hands and knockout power, capturing the bantamweight title by defeating Dominick Cruz in spectacular fashion back in 2016. O’Malley, on the other hand, built his reputation through flashy striking and an equally flashy personality that made him one of the UFC’s biggest stars.

Their relationship has been anything but friendly over the years, with both fighters taking shots at each other through social media and press conferences. The tension reached a boiling point during a memorable press conference exchange that had fans hoping these two would eventually settle their differences inside the octagon. However, timing and circumstances have kept them apart, with both men dealing with their own career challenges that prevented the matchup from materializing.

Cody Garbrandt Doesn’t Hold Back After Sean O’Malley’s Latest Setback

Following Sean O’Malley’s recent loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316, Cody Garbrandt didn’t waste any time sharing his thoughts. Garbrandt talked about O’Malley to reporters with his typical bluntness during UFC Atlanta media day.

“He should’ve kept smoking because he looked like sh*t…I know I’m one of the best fighters in the world. When you lose you’ve got everyone in your ear saying you’ve got to do this and you’ve got to do that…I think that’s a huge fight and pay-per-view sale, Sean and I. But I’m focused on this fight this Saturday and then we’ll let everything else fall in line.”

"He should've kept smoking because he looked like sh*t."

Cody Garbrandt still thinks a grudge match vs. Sean O'Malley would be "a huge fight and pay-per-view sale." pic.twitter.com/ZtOlmipMOB
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 11, 2025

It’s the kind of harsh assessment that might seem unnecessarily cruel, but it perfectly captures the genuine dislike these two fighters have for each other. Garbrandt has never been one to sugarcoat his opinions. Watching O’Malley struggle against Dvalishvili clearly gave him some satisfaction.

The timing of Garbrandt’s comments is particularly interesting as both fighters find themselves at similar crossroads in their careers. O’Malley is now on a two-fight losing streak after back-to-back losses to the current champion. Meanwhile Garbrandt is trying to rebuild his own reputation after years of ups and downs since losing his title.

Both fighters have name recognition, established fan bases, and enough legitimate animosity to make their confrontation feel meaningful rather than manufactured. For Garbrandt, who recently signed a new multi-fight contract with the UFC, a spectacular performance against Barcelos could set up exactly the kind of high-profile matchup he needs to climb back toward title contention!

(Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – Imagn Images)

Cody Garbrandt

Sean O’Malley

UFC Atlanta

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!