Newly crowned UFC bantamweight world champion Sean O’Malley is truly living his best life following the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career.
On August 19, O’Malley stepped into the main event spotlight at UFC 292, determined to hand Aljamain Sterling his first loss in more than five years. In the end, it took ‘Sugar’ less than two rounds to do just that, blasting the ‘Funk Master’ with a vicious counter right hand that sent Sterling crashing to the canvas. Moments later, Sterling was face down on the mat and O’Malley’s hand was being raised.
In the days removed from his highlight-reel-worthy win, Sean O’Malley has been living it up. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, ‘Sugar’ conducted his entire interview while soaking in a bathtub surrounded by stacks of cash and UFC gold. Today, O’Malley was spotted on social posing with his new hardware. And nothing else.
With his decisive win over the man that many believed to be the greatest bantamweight in the history of the division, Sean O’Malley scored his first appearance on the UFC’s pound-for-pound list, occupying the No. 8 spot. His victory also caused a slight shift in the bantamweight rankings with Aljamain Sterling taking the No. 1 spot while Merab Dvalishvili slipped into the No. 2 slot.
As for what comes next, Sean O’Malley immediately called for a rematch with the only man that has defeated him inside the Octagon, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. The proposal would see the two men run it back this December at UFC 296, but recent rumors have suggested that Aljamain Sterling is already in line for an immediate rematch in early 2024.
A third option would see ‘Sugar’ take on Dvalishvili, though it appears that ‘The Machine’ is content to sit back and see how things play out with O’Malley’s first title defense. And then, of course, there’s always Henry Cejudo. The former two-division titleholder is usually lurking in the shadows, looking to snatch himself another shot at UFC gold despite coming up short in his return bout with the ‘Funk Master’ in May.
Who would you like to see Sean O’Malley square off with for his first title defense?