What would a second UFC title reign look like for Sean O’Malley?
O’Malley shocked the world when he knocked out Aljamain Sterling to win the UFC bantamweight title in 2023. Months later, O’Malley defended his belt for the first time in a masterclass performance against Chito Vera at UFC 299, avenging his only career loss.
The ‘Suga’ era didn’t last for too long, as Merab Dvalishvili dethroned the champion by unanimous decision at UFC 306 last September from the Sphere.
O’Malley looks to settle the score against Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 316 next Saturday.
While the rematch with Dvalishvili has his full focus, O’Malley knows there are other fights waiting for him with a title win in New Jersey.
READ MORE: Merab Dvalishvili wants quick return after UFC 316 to fight formidable contender who is ‘ready’ for him
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCSean O’Malley eyes Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen after UFC 316O’Malley isn’t opposed to fighting Dvalishvili again after UFC 316. After all, they’d be 1-1 in their series should O’Malley pull off the upset.
However, the former champion believes there are bigger fights out there than Dvalishvili.
“It depends what the UFC wants,” O’Malley told Kevin Iole of what’s next with a title win.
“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].
“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,” O’Malley added.
Petr Yan is scheduled to face O’Malley’s ‘beast’ teammate Marcus McGhee at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26th. O’Malley defeated Yan in a controversial split decision back in 2022.
Cory Sandhagen, who has long called for a match with O’Malley, is coming off a stoppage win over former UFC champ Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Des Moines earlier this month.
Sean O’Malley on why he got immediate rematch with Merab DvalishviliInstead of fighting other contenders for the next title shot, O’Malley was offered a rematch with Dvalishvili off the bench.
O’Malley says the UFC 316 booking came with a lot of pushback from fans claiming he didn’t ‘deserve’ the rematch after his title loss.
Speaking to how the fight got made, O’Malley thinks Dvalishvili saw him as ‘the easiest fight’ available and signed the contract.
“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 said of Dvalishvili.
Dvalishvili recently claimed he went ‘easy’ on O’Malley in their first fight at UFC 306 and plans to finish him, not kiss him, in their rematch at UFC 316.
