Suga Show Set to Headline UFC Noche at Las Vegas Sphere
Sean O’Malley was facing many rumors about his career’s next step. But now he has an answer. The UFC bantamweight champion was called to headline UFC Noche 2, also known as UFC 306, at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
UFC CEO Dana White said this will be the greatest event in combat sports history. No pressure for O’Malley and his opponent, Merab Dvalishvili, to deliver, right? When it comes to MMAfighting latest news, O’Malley has long been on the radar of fans and media members as one of the sport’s future stars.
O’Malley has mostly delivered on that promise. He won the bantamweight championship at UFC 292 by knocking out Aljamain Sterling in the second round. O’Malley did disappoint a bit during his first title defense, winning a decision over Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 299. However, with another win over Dvalishvili, there could be a lot of different avenues open for O’Malley in the future.
O’Malley, like MMA fighters these days, has spoken about stepping into the boxing ring. While O’Malley has never boxed professionally, he is confident that his striking style would translate over to another discipline of combat sports.
Does O’Malley Want to Stick with the UFC?
As long as O’Malley is under contract with the UFC, he is limited in what types of fights he can take. There has been some talk about O’Malley stepping into the boxing ring, but that can’t happen right now. However, another win over Dvalishvili could open up some other opportunities within his current company.
Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria said that he would welcome a challenge from O’Malley. Topuria is known as one of MMA’s more powerful strikers, regardless of weight class. Becoming a multi-division champion in the UFC has become a major source of pride. There have been 10 different fighters in UFC history to hold championships in two different weight classes.
Alex Pereira (light heavyweight, middleweight) is the latest fighter to accomplish this feat. Taking on Topuria to try and add another belt to his collection may be enough to interest O’Malley. This next fight with Dvalishvili will be an important one for O’Malley.
Dvalishvili has a world-class wrestling ability that will be unlike anything else that O’Malley has seen in the UFC. O’Malley has a major striking advantage over Dvalishvili. It will be interesting to see how it plays out over five rounds. Dvalishvili is known for his outstanding cardio, so O’Malley will need to keep his foot on the gas pedal to keep up.
Would O’Malley be Interested in the Super Fight Route?
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and O’Malley have developed a friendly relationship. Paul has a history of calling out MMA fighters to take him on in the boxing ring. O’Malley is quite as old as some of Paul’s opponents and may be interested in a fight if the money is right.
However, the UFC has always been steadfastly against co-promotion. The only exception the UFC has made recently was when it allowed Conor McGregor to box Floyd Mayweather in a one-of-a-kind superfight. With the way Paul has antagonized White and the rest of the UFC brass, it is unlikely that the UFC would like to work with the problem child.
Ryan Garcia Has Floated a Fight
Ryan Garcia is one of the opponents that O’Malley is interested in stepping into the boxing ring with. O’Malley even claims that he has talked with the UFC about the possibility. Online boxing news does show that despite Garcia’s talent, he may not be the most reliable business partner.
Garcia is 24-1 during his career as a professional boxer. But Garcia’s behavior has gone off the rails during the past few years. Garcia has faced legal issues outside of the ring.
Inside of the ring, Garcia missed weight ahead of his WBC super lightweight title fight with Devin Haney in April. While Garcia won a dominant decision win over Haney, the fight was later overturned to a no contest after Garcia failed a drug test. Garcia was suspended for a year and fined $1.1 million for that failure.
Things got worse; in July, Garcia was expelled from the WBC after using racial slurs on social media. Garcia isn’t someone people are clamoring to work with right now.
Rematch With Yan Would be Exciting
While O’Malley’s colorful personality and hair have helped him stand out in the MMA landscape, O’Malley still has a lot to prove at bantamweight. While O’Malley has some notable knockout victories during his career, he could use a few more strong results to improve his resume.
O’Malley had a few disappointing performances before he won the championship. At UFC 280, O’Malley had an intense fight with former champion Petr Yan. Many people believed that Yan won the fight due to his increased volume.
However, it was clear through the fight that O’Malley landed the heavier strikes. The judges ultimately sided with O’Malley’s power. O’Malley also had a weird fight with Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276. It ended as a no contest due to an eye poke in the second round.
However, Munhoz and O’Malley had a close first round, and it appeared that the fight would be closely contested.
O’Malley is a Posterboy for Dana White’s Contender Series
O’Malley, 29, was the second UFC champion to come from Dana White’s Contender Series. His win on the show was his eighth professional victory. Since then, O’Malley has continued to be blown by opponents on the UFC roster.
O’Malley is 10-1 in the promotion with one no contest. That string of success has helped him rise to the top of the bantamweight division. With a win over Dvalishvili, a lot of opportunities could be opened up for O’Malley.
Welcome to the Suga Show. Whatever way O’Malley’s career goes, there should be a legion of followers.
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
By Dean McHugh.
