Tag: Sean O’Malley

After UFC 308, Tim Welch still believes Sean O’Malley would give Ilia Topuria problems

Tim Welch’s opinion on Sean O’Malley being a tough stylistic matchup for Ilia Topuria hasn’t changed after UFC 308.

[autotag]Tim Welch[/autotag]’s opinion of [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] being a tough stylistic matchup for featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] hasn’t changed after UFC 308.

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) capped off a banner 2024 by knocking out another divisional great in Max Holloway this past Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Prior to UFC 308, Welch said he sees “flat-footed” Topuria as a more favorable matchup for O’Malley than Holloway. O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has since lost his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, but Welch still thinks a fight with Topuria could happen someday.

“I don’t think it’s past,” Welch told Submission Radio. “I mean, you never know what’s going to happen in the UFC. It’s not impossible that Volkanovski goes out there and beats Ilia Topuria. I mean, that’s possible. So, you never know, and I do think stylistically, Sean could give Ilia problems. He really could, but Ilia Topuria is a very, very scary fight.

“That’s not a fight you go in there and be like, ‘Oh yeah, man, we’re going to go out,’ – it’s like, you make one mistake with Ilia Topuria, and you’re going to be lights out, looking up at the ceiling or whatever. But that’s a scary, scary fight. But I do believe that Sean, with his range and with his speed and with just his overall skill set, he could give Ilia problems. I do believe that.”

After losing his title to Dvalishvili, O’Malley underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his left hip – an injury he came into the fight with. Dvalishvili appears willing to grant O’Malley an immediate rematch, and if the pair do run things back, Welch is confident that “The Suga Show” would get the finish.

“A healthy Sean, I do believe we go out there and end up KO’ing Merab in between some sort of scramble or something,” Welch said. “On the in-betweens, I think Sean will be able to catch his chin and put him down.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Sean O’Malley dubs Ilia Topuria ‘a little f*cking Alex Pereira’ after knockout of Max Holloway at UFC 308

Sean O’Malley was in awe of Ilia Topuria’s power at UFC 308.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] was in awe of [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]’s power at UFC 308.

Featherweight champion Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) became the first fighter to knock out Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) in Saturday’s main event in Abu Dhabi. During a watch-along on his YouTube channel, O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) gave a live reaction to Topuria’s devastating knockout.

“God, Ilia’s a f*cking finisher though, huh? He’ll jump on you,” O’Malley said. “I think Ilia might have took that Round (1) just because he took his back at the end, but that was a super close round. … Ilia’s so dangerous until the last bell.”

O’Malley scored Round 2 for Holloway, but after Topuria tagged him with a left hook to finish the fight in Round 3, he couldn’t help but praise “El Matador,” whom he was previously angling to fight. O’Malley compared Topuria’s finishing abilities to UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag], who has knocked out his past four opponents in a row.

“Ilia just hurt Max bad,” O’Malley reacted. “Ilia lands a bomb, and Max is still stunned. He’s playing it off good. Oh, left hook! Ilia finishes Max Holloway with a left hook in Round 3. Holy sh*t, Ilia is that guy. Wow.

“Who, at 145, wants to fight Ilia right now? Ilia’s just so dangerous the whole fight. He’s a like a little f*cking Alex Pereira. You can’t tell me Islam (Makhachev) vs. f*cking Ilia isn’t a fight you would want to see.”

O’Malley lost his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in September. He underwent hip surgery after the fight and is targeting a return in the first half of 2025.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Watch Merab Dvalishvili lose it on UFC 308 fan who suggests he’s ducking Umar Nurmagomedov

New UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili isn’t keen on anyone who thinks he’s ducking contender Umar Nurmagomedov.

ABU DHABI – Think [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] is getting tired already of this [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] storyline?

Just a couple days after he told MMA Junkie there was method to his madness behind the idea that he could rematch former champ [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] next month, but not Nurmagomedov a month later, a fan put him on blast at a Q&A session ahead of Friday’s UFC 308 ceremonial weigh-ins in Abu Dhabi.

The fan wanted to know if new bantamweight titleholder Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC), who dominated O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) at UFC 306 in September in September is ducking Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

And Dvalishvili makes his case pretty clear that not only does he think it makes sense to delay a Nurmagomedov fight – but that he might not even be the next worthy challenger, anyway.

Check out the tense exchange above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Why UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili is willing to fight Sean O’Malley in November but not Umar Nurmagomedov

UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili would prefer a full training camp to fight Umar Nurmagomedov.

UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] would prefer a full training camp to fight [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) claimed the 135-pound title when he defeated [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) by unanimous decision at UFC 306 in September. No. 1 contender Nurmagomedov has been pestering him about a fight date, but Dvalishvili said he’s willing to fight him in March – when Nurmagomedov can’t compete due to Ramadan.

But what rubbed Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and many others wrong was Dvalishvili offering O’Malley a rematch in November. Dvalishvili explains the reasoning behind his callout.

“I already fought him, and it’s easy to come back because we’re both in the same situation,” Dvalishvili told MMA Junkie on rematching O’Malley. “We both fought on Sept. 14, and we would both step back on the same day. But when somebody else has been ready for me, preparing for me, that’s a different story.

“With O’Malley, it’s easy because we’re both in the same situation. That’s why I told him we could do a quick turnaround for November. That shouldn’t be a problem because I was ready to fight O’Malley or ‘Chito’ Vera three weeks after I beat Henry Cejudo, but to fight somebody new, somebody with a different style. Yeah, I need time. I need two or three months.”

Dvalishvili revealed that the UFC mentioned December for his first title defense against Nurmagomedov, but he told them it was too early. He’s willing to compromise and fight early next year but is a little bothered about the criticism – considering that he just became champion a little over a month ago.

“I think February I’ll be ready,” Dvalishvili said. “I would like to fight February, so that’s it, and I want to fight three times next year. I want to be busy, but I just became champion, and I don’t understand why they want me to – I just want to relax.”

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Overreaction Time: Jones vs. Ngannou WILL happen, UFC rankings useless, Sean O’Malley a fraud, more!

Check out the first episode of “Overreaction Time” as host Simon Samano and Farah Hannoun debate an array of topics in MMA.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the first episode of “Overreaction Time” as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie reporter Farah Hannoun debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • Make no mistake: [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] is the No. 1 heavyweight in the world.
  • Because the UFC can’t say no to money, we WILL get Francis Ngannou vs. [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] next year.
  • [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] is the best UFC fight for the rest of the year.
  • The UFC should just get rid of the official rankings altogether.
  • [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] getting an immediate title rematch would be ridiculous.
  • Sean O’Malley was a fraudulent UFC champion.
  • [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] needs to keep [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]’s name out of his mouth.
  • The UFC would be foolish not to book [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] early next year.

Watch the full episode in the video above.

Umar Nurmagomedov rips ‘bum’ Sean O’Malley for UFC 306 performance: ‘Merab played with him’

Umar Nurmagomedov criticizes Sean O’Malley for not showing a sense of urgency in his loss to Merab Dvalishvili.

[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] criticizes [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] for not showing a sense of urgency in his UFC 306 loss to [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag].

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) dropped his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) by unanimous decision in the UFC 306 main event in September. O’Malley was out-grappled for the most part but was able to hurt Dvalishvili with a body kick at the end of the fight.

Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) thinks O’Malley didn’t give it his all – especially with his title on the line.

“He’s a bum, brother. He’s a bum,” Nurmagomedov told Submission Radio. “He didn’t do what he has to. He was running. I don’t know, like, if you’re champion, you can’t come inside the cage and fight like that. He got out this fight; he even didn’t tire. He left cage like fresh. What are you doing, man? You have to go ahead, do everything you can do to defend your title, but you were running, you were scared, and this guy played with you.

“He kissed you. He played. You remember when he didn’t wait until the round finished and he went out. You know, it means like, hey, I want to do whatever I want with you. Merab played with him, and I don’t know how he can talk after.”

With O’Malley angling for a rematch against Dvalishvili and Dvalishvili seemingly being open to it, Nurmagomedov won’t be fazed if that’s the direction the UFC opts to go. He’s willing to fight someone else to remain active.

“I won’t be surprised. I don’t care,” Nurmagomedov said. “They can do whatever they want, and I just have my goal. I can’t fight in March. If you see (them) booking this fight in March, OK. What we’re going to do, we’re going to be active, we’re going to be active. We’re going to take out other opponent, smash him and go ahead.”

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Sean O’Malley thinks UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili is ‘actually terrified’ of Umar Nurmagomedov

Sean O’Malley thinks UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili wants no part of Umar Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] believes UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] wants no part of [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) emerged as No. 1 contender after outlasting Cory Sandhagen in the UFC on ABC 7 main event in August. A month later, Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) dethroned O’Malley to become bantamweight champion at UFC 306.

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is convinced he was robbed against Dvalishvili and called for a rematch – something Dvalishvili is willing to entertain. Nurmagomedov is convinced Dvalishvili is ducking him, and O’Malley agrees. He sees it as an opportunity to slide into the title fight after recovering from hip surgery.

“Merab vs. Umar, why is this not being announced?,” O’Malley said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “Why aren’t they fighting in November? Why aren’t they fighting in December? I think January is – wasn’t January Islam (Makhachev)? I mean, I don’t know. Umar said that he’s down to take a fight that’s not Merab if Merab wants to wait blah, blah, blah.

“So I’m here, I’m ready to – well, not ready to go yet. I’ll be ready. He would prefer me. I think he’s actually terrified of Umar if I’m being honest. Not trying to troll, not trying to be goofy, I think Merab’s scared of Umar and would rather fight me. He would probably look at me as an easier fight. So yeah, I think he would pick that if he could.”

O’Malley is hoping to return in the first quarter of 2024 after undergoing surgery for a torn left labrum earlier this month.

“I’m saying March or April,” O’Malley said. “I’m doing everything I can do to get back in there. My mindset, my ambition, my drive, everything is at an all-time high. I want to get back in the gym. I want to get back to work. I want to get back on the mats. I want to make that walk again, and I want Merab next.

“I know I’m better than him. I need to right that wrong. I think Miami would just be sweet. That’s where I got to prove to everyone – for three-and-a-half years, I kept saying, ‘I’m better than ‘Chito’ (Vera), I’m better than ‘Chito.’ That was bullsh*t,’ and Miami, this year, I got to prove that. So, I would like to go back to Miami and prove that once again. Rematch Merab, that’s what I want.”

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Willing to wait till June, Cory Sandhagen continues push for Sean O’Malley fight: ‘There’s no better fight you can make’

Cory Sandhagen says he’s willing to wait till Sean O’Malley’s desired UFC return date of June 2025.

[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] sees a potential fight against [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] as a no-brainer.

Sandhagen (17-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC), a former title challenger and long-time UFC bantamweight contender, is hoping to get booked against O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), and is surprised that there’s not a big effort, at least for now, by the promotion to get that fight done.

Speaking on Michael Bisping’s YouTube channel, Sandhagen continued his push for a fight against the former UFC champion, and even said he’d be willing until June – O’Malley’s targeted return.

“You read all the comments, and you talk to fans, and you talk to people, and that’s the fight everyone wants to see happen,” Sandhagen said. “I’m actually kind of surprised the UFC hasn’t come to me or Sean, hasn’t said anything about that fight yet or anything, or (the UFC) asked, ‘Hey, are you willing to wait till June?’ because I would entertain that big time.

“I think a big piece I’ve been able to appreciate lately is I really want to give fans what they’re paying to see, and if it means waiting to give fans a fight they’re most excited for, I would definitely big time entertain that. I would rather not have it all the way in June, but there’s no better fight you can make. Me and O’Malley is a banger of a fight.”

Sandhagen said he was offered a fight against Deiveson Figueiredo for late 2024, but Figueiredo turned it down, and now the UFC will look to book Figueiredo against Petr Yan.

Not wanting to fight too down the UFC bantamweight rankings, Sandhagen sees O’Malley as the only viable option, as he’s coming off a championship loss to Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 306 last month.

“I feel like O’Malley is the only fight,” Sandhagen said. “Maybe the winner of Yan and Figgy if O’Malley is going to be weird and still not bring me up or mention that fight or anything like that. So yeah, that’s what I’m looking at.”

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After undergoing surgery, Sean O’Malley ‘wants to be back ASAP’: ‘I feel f*cking great’

Sean O’Malley thinks he could return earlier than he originally anticipated.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] thinks he could return earlier than he originally anticipated.

O’Malley underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip – an injury he was dealing with prior to losing his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in September.

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was initially looking at six-eight months off, but after going under the knife, “The Suga Show” is planning on coming back a little sooner.

“(I) got surgery Thursday,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. “Today is Saturday, it’s been f*cking two days. I feel f*cking great. I’m going to come back better than ever. I’ll be back next week to sparring. I do think I am going to do everything right. I’m going to recover as fast as I possibly can, and I’m going to get back. Everyone is like, ‘Don’t come back too soon.’

“I’m coming back the right amount of soon. I want to be back ASAP. I want to get these fights in while I’m still young enough. I turn 30 this month. I want to recover, do everything right, but I want to get back in there April, May, June latest. I think I can be back before that. March even would be crazy, but who knows? I’m just going with the flow, day by day.”

O’Malley is not short of options in his return, and already has a slew of bantamweight contenders such as Cory Sandhagen, Henry Cejudo, and Jose Aldo hoping to fight him.

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Jose Aldo interested in ‘great fight’ vs. Sean O’Malley with UFC 307 win

Jose Aldo welcomes the idea of Sean O’Malley after UFC 307.

[autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] welcomes the idea of [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] after UFC 307.

Aldo (32-8 MMA, 14-7 UFC) meets Mario Bautista (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) on Saturday’s main card (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Aldo snapped rising contender Jonathan Martinez’s six-fight win streak at UFC 301, and will look to do the same to Bautista. However, the former UFC featherweight champion admits he would have rather been matched up with a more notable name in the division.

“When I asked for a fight, I initially asked for a bigger name,” Aldo told ESPN through an interpreter. “They gave me Jonathan and I humbly accepted that fight and did what I needed to do. For this fight, same thing. I’ve always asked for it, and I humbly accepted and will do my job.”

When the name O’Malley was suggested to him, “The King of Rio” was all for the idea of throwing down against the former champion if he can get past Bautista. O’Malley is coming off a title loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in September, and underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip on Thursday.

“I think that is a fight, yes, I like,” Aldo said. “I think this is a fight, the two of us, myself and Sean, two people that carry weight, there is a cache to what we do. I think it would be two great names in the division and it would be a great fight. Obviously, I would accept it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.