When former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley lost the belt to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 , he entered the fight under less than ideal conditions. Following the loss, "Suga" headed into surgery to repair an injured hip.

O'Malley doesn't think the hip injury played a major role in the fight itself, but it did affect his preparation for the fight.

"I was confident that I could go out there and knock Merab out. I did it against Aljo ( Aljamain Sterling ). The Aljo fight was worse, like the rib. I would say the rib was worse than the actual hip," O'Malley told Daniel Cornier .

"The hip didn't play as much a role in the fight as it did as the camp. To fight someone like Merab you've got to prepare right. You're got to wrestle. You've got to be grappling and we didn't do that

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