O’Malley Shares Surgery Update, Plans Quick Return
Sean O’Malley has given a positive update on his return to the UFC.
O’Malley is coming off a loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. It was the second defense of his UFC Bantamweight Title. He entered the fight as the favorite after beating Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in his previous fight. The win avenged the only loss of his UFC career. Suga was taking on one of the leading contenders in the division. Merab had won 10 on the bounce and was looking to dethrone Suga after playing mind games in the build-up. He shared footage of himself suffering from a cut whilst also removing the stitches himself, raising doubts about whether he would make the fight.
The fight would eventually go ahead, but Suga was dominated as he lost a one-sided unanimous decision. Merab repeatedly took Suga to the ground as O’Malley did not look the same after the loss. Sean confirmed that he would be undergoing surgery for an injury. Suga also stated that he would take some time off in order to re-evaluate where he goes next. O’Malley eventually underwent surgery and has now confirmed that he could be back quicker than expected. He revealed that he plans on fighting again in March, as questions will then turn to his next opponent.
O’Malley’s Return
“Got surgery Thursday. Today is Saturday, it’s been two days. I feel great, I feel great. I’m going to come back better than ever. I’ll be back next week to sparring. No, 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, ‘Hey, 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. [And] I turn 30 this month. [And] 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 said
There is the opportunity to run things back with Merab. O’Malley did the same when he lost to Vera at UFC 299, but it took several years before the rematch happened. They first faced off at UFC 252 in 2020. Vera secured a first-round KO win after landing some brutal elbows to end the fight. O’Malley would eventually wait four years before he got an opportunity to run things back.
What’s Next?
But when it comes to Merab, O’Malley will want to set things right immediately, especially since he has the opportunity to win the world title. Outside of Merab, he could take on some of the other contenders in the division. These include Cory Sandhagen, Henry Cejudo and Jose Aldo. Aldo recently returned to the UFC when he defeated Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301. That was his first win since UFC 278 in 2022 when he lost to Mario Bautista at UFC 307. Much of Aldo’s return was to eventually work himself into a title shot. He has named O’Malley as a future opponent as that fight could play out.
“I think that is a fight, I like. I think this is a fight, the two of us, myself and Sean, two people we have weight, there is a cache to what we do. Two great names in the division and it would be a great fight,” Aldo said
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