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Sean O’Malley may be the next big star Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has to offer. Not only is the bantamweight contender young, undefeated, and equipped with insane striking ability, but he’s one of the most confident fighters you’ll ever come around.
Can you blame him? With a ridiculous one-punch knockout finish over veteran Eddie Wineland last weekend at UFC 250 it’s hard not to think “Suga” can’t take his talents all the way up the bantamweight ladder.
At just 25 years of age, O’Malley is ready to take his talents to the next level. The budding title contender did have to spend nearly two years on the sidelines due to injury and USADA suspensions, but the “Suga Show” is back in town and may be the best thing since sliced bread.
Just ask O’Malley himself, who is already crowning himself champion of the UFC’s jam-packed bantamweight division. “Suga” recently posted the following rankings to his Instagram, showing himself at the top and captioning the photo, “Humbled.”
While UFC is likely to take things slow with O’Malley as he starts his ascension into the division’s top 15, it’s hard to imagine not throwing the knockout artist into a massive fight his next time out. O’Malley has already hinted at his willingness to throw down with former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, but he’s also interested in testing the chin of a proven contender like Marlon Vera, who has won six out of his last seven trips to the Octagon.
“Marlon Vera is a fight I’d definitely be interested in doing after it was supposed to happen last year. I don’t know what will be next though, that’s up to Sean Shelby,” O’Malley told BJPenn.com following his UFC 250 win. “He [Dana White] will come to me with a name and we will figure it out.”
O’Malley still has a lot to prove as he fights his way to title contention heading into 2021, but there’s a lot to like about the UFC’s brightest new star. As long as he can keep the train on the tracks and continues to hone his skills in the most unforgiving playground in sports it’s only a matter of time before “Suga” finds himself atop the rankings.
What say you, Maniacs? Who should O’Malley fight next?
Let’s hear it!