If Sean O’Malley is going to defend his make-believe bantamweight title, he’s going to do it on his terms. That means “Suga” won’t be fighting former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 268 in New York, because the timeline and location are less than desirable.
“I got offered a fight in New York against Frankie, and I said if Frankie wants to get whooped, he can get whooped in Vegas in December, a month later,” O’Malley told The Schmo (transcribed by Farah Hannoun). “They want Frankie to fight in New York, so they gave him ‘Chito’ (Vera). Getting the ‘Suga Show’ against Frankie would’ve been a great fight for me, but I’m not too worried about it.”
O’Malley is coming off back-to-back knockout wins over Thomas Almeida and Kris Moutinho, the latter of which left “Suga” with an injured hand. The healing process may not leave the one-time “Contender Series” standout ready in time for anything earlier than December.
Where a former champion may be waiting.
“Who will it be? Dominick Cruz? Could be, I don’t know,” O’Malley continued. “If he wants to fight in December in Vegas, I would love to dance with him. I don’t think he’ll take that fight. I don’t think that’s a fight that he wants. But if it is, then yeah, that would probably be next. I don’t really care if it’s a top 10 guy, a top 15 guy, a bum on the street. I’m gonna get paid the same. Whoever I beat up, I’m getting paid the same.”
Despite his 6-1 record for UFC, O’Malley has yet to crack the bantamweight Top 15.