Sean O’Malley appears to have nothing in his crosshairs except redemption opposite UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili next year.
O’Malley was thrust off the throne in emphatic fashion by Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 306 at the Sphere this past September, bringing an end to his reign in its second defense.
“Sugar” subsequently headed for surgery to repair a torn labrum and is targeting a return in the first or second quarter of 2025. And he was recently called out by a familiar foe for his comeback fight.
“I would lean towards a rematch with Sean O’Malley,” Petr Yan told Ariel Helwani. “I don’t know what’s going on with him. He’s out for nine or 12 months, so maybe he got pregnant.”
Yan’s comments come after he made it two wins from two in 2024 by outpointing Deiveson Figueiredo in Macau. While he’s gone back and forth with Dvalishvili over a rematch for the title, Umar Nurmagomedov is widely seen as the deserving next in line at 135 pounds.
With that in mind, the Russian may need to look elsewhere for his next assignment. And judging by O’Malley’s reaction to his request for a redo, his door has been firmly shut for “No Mercy.”
“I predict it will be early Q2. Against Merab. Thanks for asking,” O’Malley wrote in his response on X.
O’Malley has repeatedly outlined his intention to return straight into a shot at avenging his decision defeat to “The Machine.”
With the timeline for Nurmagomedov’s expected maiden title opportunity still uncertain as the year approaches its conclusion, it remains to be seen what lies ahead for both O’Malley and Yan in 2025.