Coach Speak: What Makes Sean O’Malley a ‘Special’ Talent

Considered among the best competitive Brazilian jiu-jitsu featherweights of all time, Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes talked exclusively with Sherdog about a man that he considers to be his most talented student, Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight ruler Sean O'Malley.

Mendes recalled the beginning of the rivalry of O’Malley with Alexandre Pantoja and Henry Cejudo around 10 years ago, when Cejudo took Pantoja to MMA Labs and, according to “Tanquinho,” the unexperienced O’Malley more than held his own against elite UFC talent.