Sean O’Malley could not defend his UFC bantamweight belt against Merab Dvalishvili last weekend. As a result, the former bantamweight champion appeared distraught. To pay tribute to his belt, O’Malley even gave a dramatic farewell similar to the one given to the late Hollywood star Paul Walker in Fast and Furious 7.
Sean O’Malley’s unexpected defeat surprised many fans, who eagerly anticipated another impressive performance from the fighter. Initially accepting his loss with grace, O’Malley now appears to be feeling more emotional about the outcome. He recently took to his social media handle (@sugasean/IG) to express his emotions.
You can take the belt from me but you can’t take the chamo outa me. Not necessarily proud of my performance but proud of my mindset… Going to be out realistically 7-9 months. Going to get healthy and work on some things. Love you guys, love the sport, love the UFC. I’ll be back.
Sean O’Malley via Instagram
As O’Malley bid farewell to his belt, he mentioned that he might have won 2 out of 5 rounds against Dvalishvili. However, Suga also showed his disappointment, as he couldn’t finish the fight. Meanwhile, the Georgian fighter perfectly executed all his plans to dismantle one of his formidable opponents. A victory against Dvalishvili might have opened intriguing opportunities for Suga, but that didn’t happen.
Interestingly, there might be one clear reason for O’Malley’s underwhelming performance, which led to his defeat. Suga recently mentioned his hip complications, which appear to be the main reason for his upcoming inactive period. However, this raises the question of who O’Malley will fight when he returns. As of now, there are many standby callouts for the former bantamweight king.
Who might be the best matchup for Sean O’Malley next?
Sean O’Malley’s successful career at the UFC has moved everyone in the community; it amplified after he won the belt from Aljamain Sterling. However, with the recent loss, every fighter wants to take their chances against the former champ. Some of the standouts are former bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo and Petr Yan. However, a UFC legend feels none of these are good matchups for O’Malley.
Sean O’Malley’s next potential opponents (Image via Imago)Former UFC champ Chael Sonnen often voiced his opinions on several fighters. In the case of O’Malley, Sonnen named one of the former UFC champions as Suga’s next potential opponent.
Per the UFC legend, that matchup would do great in numbers as compared to him fighting other fighters. He wanted O’Malley to face one of the most dangerous fighters in the division.
Typically in this sport, if you lose a fight, you ll be mached up with somebody else that lost a fight, well not so fast, (Sean) O’Malley vs (Deiveson) Figueiredo makes a lot of sense to me…
Chael Sonnen via ESPN MMA-Advertisement-
Former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo moved to the bantamweight division last year. Speaking of his record in the division, the Brazilian is currently riding on a three-fight win streak. Most recently, Figueiredo defeated one of the prominent contenders of the division, Marlon Vera. As per Chael Sonnen, a fight between O’Malley and the Brazilian would be a treat for the fans.
