Sean O'Malley
Sugar
USA
Unable to regain 135-pound gold
O'Malley came up short in his quest to regain the UFC Bantamweight Championship on Saturday, falling to Merab Dvalishvili via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:42 of Round 3 at UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey.
ANALYSIS
Fully recovered from hip surgery which hampered him in the first fight against Dvalishvili last September, O'Malley fought better. And still lost. More convincingly than the first time. Sean spent too much time on his back in Round 1, but was by no means dominated. He stuffed all four of Merab's takedown attempts in Round 2 and even won the round on one scorecard, but it all came crashing down in Round 3. He worked his way back to his feet twice before being dragged down to the mat again after each occasion. His will appeared to break in the process, and Dvalishvili was able to get the submission win late in the frame. Sean still may be the second-best bantamweight in the world, but the guy at the top of the food chain is a nightmare matchup for him. It's reminiscent of the Jon Jones v. Daniel Cormier situation back in the day. It doesn't mean O'Malley is anything other than elite. It just means Merab is better.
Fully recovered from hip surgery which hampered him in the first fight against Dvalishvili last September, O'Malley fought better. And still lost. More convincingly than the first time. Sean spent too much time on his back in Round 1, but was by no means dominated. He stuffed all four of Merab's takedown attempts in Round 2 and even won the round on one scorecard, but it all came crashing down in Round 3. He worked his way back to his feet twice before being dragged down to the mat again after each occasion. His will appeared to break in the process, and Dvalishvili was able to get the submission win late in the frame. Sean still may be the second-best bantamweight in the world, but the guy at the top of the food chain is a nightmare matchup for him. It's reminiscent of the Jon Jones v. Daniel Cormier situation back in the day. It doesn't mean O'Malley is anything other than elite. It just means Merab is better.
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Ready to take on Dvalishvili
O'Malley (hip) will face Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316 in New Jersey on June 7 to challenge for the bantamweight title.
ANALYSIS
O'Malley underwent hip surgery back in September 2024 after the loss to Dvalishvili. However, now that he's recovered, he'll make another run to regain the title he previously lost in what'll be Dvalishvili's second title defense. O'Malley won't have an easy task in this fight, though, as Dvalishvili is one of the most in-form fighters in the world and is on a 12-fight winning streak. Plus, it's unclear how sharp O'Malley will be after the surgery, as he needs to be at the top of his game both physically and mentally even to have a shot at defeating Dvalishvili.
O'Malley underwent hip surgery back in September 2024 after the loss to Dvalishvili. However, now that he's recovered, he'll make another run to regain the title he previously lost in what'll be Dvalishvili's second title defense. O'Malley won't have an easy task in this fight, though, as Dvalishvili is one of the most in-form fighters in the world and is on a 12-fight winning streak. Plus, it's unclear how sharp O'Malley will be after the surgery, as he needs to be at the top of his game both physically and mentally even to have a shot at defeating Dvalishvili.
Will undergo hip surgery
O'Malley will undergo hip surgery, Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
O'Malley tore his left labrum 10 weeks before fighting Merab Dvalishvili on Saturday. During his latest podcast with head coach Tim Welch, the former bantamweight champion admitted he could need a year off to fight again. At minimum, O'Malley will be out for at least six months, pushing his return date to 2025. He will finish 2024 going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. O'Malley began this year redeeming himself from his first-ever loss by easily defeating Marlon Vera.
O'Malley tore his left labrum 10 weeks before fighting Merab Dvalishvili on Saturday. During his latest podcast with head coach Tim Welch, the former bantamweight champion admitted he could need a year off to fight again. At minimum, O'Malley will be out for at least six months, pushing his return date to 2025. He will finish 2024 going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. O'Malley began this year redeeming himself from his first-ever loss by easily defeating Marlon Vera.
Quick end to title reign
O'Malley dropped the UFC Bantamweight Championship on Saturday, falling to Merab Dvalishvili via unanimous decision (46-49, 47-48, 47-48) at UFC 306 in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
In the hours leading up to the fight, O'Malley went from a -140 favorite to a +105 underdog. As always, Vegas knows all. Merab was viewed by many as a terrible stylistic matchup for the now-former champion, and that proved to be exactly the case. Sean was constantly moving backwards in an attempt to ward off takedown attempts, and that limited his ability to land both power shots and volume. He allowed Dvalishvili to land 6-of-15 attempts, good for 10:03 worth of control time. O'Malley did manage to damage Merab late with a body kick, but was unable to follow up with any additional blows. None of this is to take anything away from Sean, but styles make fights, and a high-level grappler always figured to be O'Malley's kryptonite. Set to turn 30 years of age in late October, "Suga" Sean will be back, but this one stings.
In the hours leading up to the fight, O'Malley went from a -140 favorite to a +105 underdog. As always, Vegas knows all. Merab was viewed by many as a terrible stylistic matchup for the now-former champion, and that proved to be exactly the case. Sean was constantly moving backwards in an attempt to ward off takedown attempts, and that limited his ability to land both power shots and volume. He allowed Dvalishvili to land 6-of-15 attempts, good for 10:03 worth of control time. O'Malley did manage to damage Merab late with a body kick, but was unable to follow up with any additional blows. None of this is to take anything away from Sean, but styles make fights, and a high-level grappler always figured to be O'Malley's kryptonite. Set to turn 30 years of age in late October, "Suga" Sean will be back, but this one stings.
Tabbed to face Dvalishvili
O'Malley (undisclosed) will face Merab Dvalishvili in a bantamweight fight in UFC Noche at Sphere in Las Vegas on Sep. 14.
ANALYSIS
O'Malley successfully defended his UFC Bantamweight Championship against Marlon Vera in March this year, but the Florida Athletic Commission later suspended him after he sustained an injury. It seems the title holder is now healthy and ready to defend his belt once again, though facing Dvalishvili is a tougher challenge than Vera -- and by a wide margin. This fight was in the books for a while now, and O'Malley will have to be at his best if he wants to defeat one of the most in-form fighters in the world.
O'Malley successfully defended his UFC Bantamweight Championship against Marlon Vera in March this year, but the Florida Athletic Commission later suspended him after he sustained an injury. It seems the title holder is now healthy and ready to defend his belt once again, though facing Dvalishvili is a tougher challenge than Vera -- and by a wide margin. This fight was in the books for a while now, and O'Malley will have to be at his best if he wants to defeat one of the most in-form fighters in the world.
Given medical suspension
O'Malley has been suspended indefinitely by the Florida Athletic Commission pending independent clearance from an orthopedic physician, MMAJunkie.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The commission didn't specify exactly what injury O'Malley sustained in the five-round fight, though multiple accounts did notice the bantamweight champion in a walking boot following his UFC 299 title defense against Marlon Vera. O'Malley said after the fight that he hopes to move up to 145 pounds to face featherweight champion Ilia Topuria in Spain, but the "Sugar Show" will likely have to wait until roughly the fall to step back into the cage.
The commission didn't specify exactly what injury O'Malley sustained in the five-round fight, though multiple accounts did notice the bantamweight champion in a walking boot following his UFC 299 title defense against Marlon Vera. O'Malley said after the fight that he hopes to move up to 145 pounds to face featherweight champion Ilia Topuria in Spain, but the "Sugar Show" will likely have to wait until roughly the fall to step back into the cage.