What might a second championship run in the UFC look like for Sean O’Malley?
O’Malley stunned the mixed martial arts world in 2023 by achieving a spectacular knockout victory over Aljamain Sterling to capture the UFC bantamweight title. Just months later, O’Malley successfully defended his championship for the first time at UFC 299, delivering a masterful performance against Marlon “Chito” Vera and gaining redemption for the only loss of his career.
However, the “Suga” title reign was relatively brief. Merab Dvalishvili dethroned the champion via unanimous decision at UFC 306 last September.
O’Malley is now scheduled to face Dvalishvili in a high-stakes rematch headlining UFC 316 next Saturday.
While his immediate attention is entirely focused on regaining the title from Dvalishvili, O’Malley has acknowledged that significant potential matchups are on the horizon if he emerges victorious in New Jersey.
Sean O’Malley Considers Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen After UFC 316
O’Malley isn`t necessarily against a potential third fight with Dvalishvili if he wins at UFC 316, which would tie their head-to-head record. Nevertheless, the former champion believes that more compelling and commercially viable fights exist beyond a third encounter with Dvalishvili.
When asked about his plans following a potential title win, O’Malley told Kevin Iole, “It depends what the UFC wants.”
“I think there’s big fights, me vs. Cory [Sandhagen], me vs. Petr Yan rematch is, I think, a lot bigger than a trilogy with [Dvalishvili],” O`Malley commented, weighing his options.
He added, “But at the end of the day, I wanna do what the people wanna do. What do the fans want? Me vs. Merab 3, definitely got a little ring to it. ‘Suga’ versus Petr Yan 2, massive. Me versus Cory, it’s a big fight.”
Petr Yan is slated to compete against O’Malley’s teammate, Marcus McGhee, at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26th. O’Malley previously defeated Yan by a contentious split decision back in 2022.
Cory Sandhagen, who has long expressed interest in a bout with O’Malley, recently secured a stoppage victory over former UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo earlier this month at UFC Des Moines.
Sean O’Malley Explains Immediate Rematch Against Merab Dvalishvili
Instead of another top contender receiving the next championship opportunity, O’Malley was granted an immediate rematch with Dvalishvili.
O’Malley acknowledged that the decision to book the UFC 316 rematch faced pushback from some fans who felt he did not “deserve” an instant title shot after his loss.
Offering his perspective on the matchmaking, O’Malley speculated that Dvalishvili might have seen him as the most accessible or “easiest fight” currently available, leading him to sign the contract readily.
“I think Merab might be doing it in a way… He’s like, ‘Oh, I gotta fight Sean. I just beat him. That’s the easiest fight to make. That’s who I want next,`” O’Malley hypothesized regarding Dvalishvili’s thought process.
Adding another layer to the pre-fight commentary, Dvalishvili recently claimed he intentionally went “easy” on O’Malley during their initial encounter at UFC 306 and stated his intention to secure a finish, rather than just a decision win, in their upcoming rematch at UFC 316.
