Sean O’Malley went under the hammer at the UFC 306 Pay-per-view headliner. Now, he goes under the knife. O’Malley coughed up his bantamweight gold in the main event to Merab Dvalishvili. For five rounds, Dvalishvili dominated and canceled the ‘Suga Show’ with lopsided wrestling. Having lost his 135-pound title, the former champ is getting on with a self-imposed sabbatical.
Sean O’Malley recently revealed about taking time out on ‘The TimboSugarShow‘ with longtime coach Tim Welch. ‘Suga’ said he’ll need clinical procedures. The former UFC bantamweight champion will undergo hip surgery next month and will be out of action for anywhere between six months and a year. O’Malley revealed the news to popular streamer and friend Adin Ross after his UFC 306 title loss.
I have surgery on Oct. 3, … tore my left labrum in my hip. That’s the only reason I’m going to be out for so long. This surgery should only take two months to come back from, …then a couple of months recovery, so a year is a long time. It could be six to eight months. But you never know. … UFC won’t be the same without me.
Sean O’Malley to @adinross during Live Stream; 🎥 : @SugaSeanUFC on YT
Hip labral tears occur when the cartilage (labrum) that covers the hip joint socket wears out through repetitive movement. Subsequently, O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) said he suffered the injury about ten weeks ago. Nevertheless, he still had camp for his second title defense last Saturday in Las Vegas.
The 29-year-old suffered a dominant decision loss (48-47, 48-47, 49-46), which UFC CEO Dana White billed as a “flat” performance. While the UFC 306 Pay-per-view clinical suspensions are not out yet, Brian Ortega, Irene Aldana, and Ronaldo ‘Lazy Boy’”’ Rodriguez were transported to a local hospital in “Sin City.”
The first two received cuts and blunt blows, while Rodriguez needed a precautionary CT scan. ‘Suga’ narrowly escaped the ordeal but might still face a mandatory suspension. As a 2024 ESPY for Best UFC Fighter Award recipient, he has a slew of challenges ahead.
Sean O’Malley isn’t void of callouts when he returns
O’Malley suffered the first decision skid of his career at the weekend’s UFC 306. He also suffered a huge collapse in UFC Pound-for-pound athlete listings as Merab Dvalishvili debuts that list. Up to the minute at UFC 306, ‘Suga’ faced multiple takedowns that further affected his hip. The bantamweight fighter will be on the bench for a while.
Sean O’Malley has a long road back after UFC 306 (Source: heavy.com)In defeat, O’Malley fails in his second title affair. His only other loss had been to Marlon Vera via TKO in 2020. When veteran voice Bruce Buffer announced his name, he once again touted a “zero” gag sign, having avenged his loss this March. However, this current loss is no short-spot fluke.
After UFC 306, Sean O’Malley already has several top bantamweight contenders who want a piece of him. Immediately after, Henry Cejudo mocked him, who previously said he’d stay at bantamweight to fight O’Malley.
Hey O’Methyl…You wanted to be the next Conor McGregor-well now you are. Neither of you bums can defend a takedown. I’m teaching “Wrestling for Cokeheads” at 8 AM. See you in the morning. @SugaSeanMMA
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) September 15, 2024
I never considered Sean a real champion because he was gifted decision against me in Abu Dhabi. Rematch season is open, so see you soon 👊🏼
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) September 15, 2024
Former champ Petr Yan (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who lost a controversial nod to ‘The Suga Show’ in October 2022, also took free shots. Yan set his sights on UFC 310 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Merab Dvalishvili also hypothesizes that a matchup between ‘No Mercy’ and Umar Nurmagomedov should decide who will be the top contender for his gold.
Cory Sandhagen, who lost a hard-fought battle to Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC on ABC 7 in August, took the simpler route. He has been on the rumor mill ever since the fight. As such, Sandhagen has asked for a pure strike fest.
O’Malley seemed to take the defeat in stride, posting a video on Instagram of his takedown defense. O’Malley couldn’t stuff six takedowns from Merab Dvalishvili and got controlled for 10 minutes. A strike fest isn’t looking too bad right now.
