Sean O’Malley says he has a new opponent for UFC 264, headlined by Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3, after Louis Smolka pulled out of their MMA fight.
Sean O’Malley appears to have a new opponent for UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3, and chances are you have never heard of him.
O’Malley (13-1) was originally scheduled to fight Louis Smolka at UFC 264, taking place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on Sat., July 10, 2021, via ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV). Smolka was forced out of the fight, and every bantamweight and their grandmother made the pitch online to fill in.
“Suga” Sean revealed Wednesday on his official Twitch that he will fight Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) newcomer Kris Moutinho (9-4). Ricky Simon (18-3) was reportedly considered but could not make the bantamweight limit in time.
Sean O’Malley’s new UFC 264 opponent is Kris Moutinho, who’ll be making his UFC debut. He’s 9-4. Ricky Simon was considered, I’m told, but he couldn’t make 135 on such short notice.
O’Malley first broke the news on his Twitch stream.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 30, 2021
Moutinho, 28, enters the fight with two consecutive wins by finish. The CES alum has fought Bellator alum Johnny Campbell and UFC fighter Tony Gravely.
O’Malley bounced back from his loss to Marlon “Chito” Vera by knocking out Thomas Almeida at UFC 260: Miocic vs. Ngannou 2 on March 27, 2021. His pro record includes wins over Eddie Wineland, Jose Alberto Quiñonez and Andre Soukhamthath.
UFC 264 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on Sat., July 10, 2021, via ESPN+ PPV.
Take a look at the UFC 264 line up here.