Danny Segura: Sean O’Malley vs. John Dodson is the fight to make
[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] proved on Saturday night that he’s a force to be reckoned with at 135 pounds. O’Malley’s walk-off knockout against former WEC champion Eddie Wineland, plus the moments leading up to it, were nothing but world-class fighting.
Yet, despite how good “Suga” Sean looked at UFC 250, he’s still just 25 years old with four UFC fights under his belt.
It’s understandable to feel an urge to rush O’Malley to the top given his skills, fun fighting style and popular personality. But if pushed too quickly and overmatched with the higher-tier fighters, this can often be a detriment to a fighter’s career and take them down a bad path that many take years to recover from.
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Matchmaking is key during a fighter’s developmental process, so the UFC needs to be careful O’Malley’s star power doesn’t put him in fights he shouldn’t be in. O’Malley needs a fighter who’s respected in the division, that will test him, and that will elevate his status, while still being a manageable task.
A bout with former UFC title challenger John Dodson is the way to go. Dodson has been a staple of the lower weight classes for many years, and he currently sits at No. 13 in the UFC’s official bantamweight rankings. It’s a good career opportunity for O’Malley, plus a weird but fun stylistic matchup given O’Malley is 5-foot-11 and Dodson 5-3.