UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has provided an update regarding his return, as rumors continue to circulate that he will headline UFC 306 against Merab Dvalishvili.
After successfully defending his bantamweight title against Marlon Vera this past March, Sean O’Malley knew that his next challenger would be Merab Dvalishvili.
Since then, both 135lbers have been campaigning for their fight to take place on the monumental UFC 306 card on September 14, which is scheduled to take place from the Sphere, in Las Vegas.
Sean O’Malley provides frustrating update as rumors continue to swirl
Despite the rumors, the promotion is yet to announce a main event for the spectacle, with women’s flyweight champion, Alexa Grasso, also hopeful that she will be defending her title at the Noche UFC event.
At the UFC 303 post-fight press conference, UFC CEO, Dana White, admitted that the event will be a ‘love letter’ to the Mexican people.
‘Suga’ has provided an update to his fans on when he thinks he will return to the Octagon, despite rumors that he and ‘The Machine’ will headline.
“No f****** update (on an announcement) for you fellas, I’m still hoping for the Sphere, still the same s***, Sphere or December, but I’m pretty sure either way it’s going to be in Vegas (my next fight), which I’m pumped about,” O’Malley told on the recent episode of the Timbo and Sugar Show.
“Dana (White) keeps saying (the Sphere event) is going to be something crazy. I know you’ve got Conor (McGregor) and (Michael) Chandler maybe going around, you’ve got Max (Holloway) Ilia (Topuria), you’ve got me and Merab, you’ve got f****** some pretty big fights to possibly make.
“Honest to God, I have not heard from the UFC yet and we’re getting to goddamn close (to the event),” O’Malley continued.
Michael Chandler recently expressed his desire for his fight against Conor McGregor to be rescheduled for the monumental event, however, White hinted that the Irishman won’t be ready to return till the end of the year.
Although O’Malley hasn’t heard from the UFC regarding fighting on September 14, he has admitted that he has started camp, just in case they do make the call.
“Oh yeah (it’s frustrating). I’m in camp right now just in case because it’s a little over nine weeks out so I’m in camp now just in case. Yeah it is frustrating though, but it is what it is,” O’Malley admitted.
O’Malley continues his online feud with Ilia Topuria
Despite O’Malley and Ilia Topuria being in different weight classes, they are setting up for what could be a huge fight down the line.
The two have continued to go back and forth with each other online, and ‘Suga’ recently tweeted his dismay on X, about how ‘El Matador’ is higher than him on the pound-for-pound rankings.
“Ilia is going to be the next Cody Garbrandt, he won his nice little fight, he had his little Dominick Cruz performance, and he’s about to get pieced up by Max Holloway and then go downhill from there.
“Not really, I feel like Ilia is one of the most skilled guys actually in the UFC but f*** Ilia,” the bantamweight champion joked.