Ever the entertainer, Sean O’Malley continues to post new content to his social media platforms and in his latest viral video, ‘Suga’ packs away the bantamweight belt as he prepares for an extended period on the sidelines.
UFC superstar Sean O’Malley has confirmed that he’s set to go under the knife next month and that he’ll be out of action for up to a year, but ‘Suga’ seems in good spirits as he continues to post viral videos.
Sean O’Malley says goodbye to his old UFC bantamweight title
Since dropping his UFC bantamweight title to Georgian wrestler Merab Dvalishvili this past weekend at The Sphere in Las Vegas, O’Malley has kept himself busy by posting a series of humorously self-aware videos online.
In his latest viral post, a dejected O’Malley walks past his two pink supercars in his Arizona home, placing his shiny gold belt in a suitcase as Whiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s ‘See You Again’ plays over the sound system.
“You can take the belt from me, but you can’t take the champ outa me,” wrote ‘Suga’ in the caption as he acknowledged that whilst the UFC 306 performance wasn’t up to his usual standard, there’s plenty to be proud of.
“Not necessarily proud of my performance but proud of my mindset. Lost first 2 rounds and came back to win the 3rd and 5th. Had his b*** ass running from me in the 5th.
“Going to be out realistically 7-9 months. Going to get healthy and work on some things. Love you guys, love this sport, love the UFC.”
The now-former UFC bantamweight king ended by stating that “I’ll be back,” with veteran commentator Jon Anik writing in response: “Love you, bro. You’re a credit to the sport, your team, your family, and all of us. Heal well, champ.”
O’Malley previously took to X in the aftermath of the decision loss to admit that he “over promised [and] under performed,” as he later joked “Suga State athletic commission BREAKING NEWS Suga won 2 of the last 3 rounds!! Fight Over turned. Suga won!”
Sean O’Malley will fight for UFC title whenever he makes his return
Whilst O’Malley is expected to be out of action for up to one year, with his hip surgery scheduled for October 3, that doesn’t mean that ‘Suga’ couldn’t waltz back into title contention when he makes a full recovery.
At least that’s according to the manager of Umar Nurmagomedov, who confirmed earlier this week how once the undefeated Russian captures the belt from Dvalishvili, they’ll move to make his first title defense against the flashy American.
“I think Sean O’Malley is one of the biggest stars in the sport,” stated Ali Abdelaziz via ESPN MMA, who explained how “This is a business about making money and I think Sean O’Malley deserves a title shot coming off a loss – do you know why?
“Because Sean O’Malley makes everyone in the division money, not Merab and not Umar yet… Umar will fight anybody… But this is about making money and Sean O’Malley – nobody gave a s*** about the bantamweight division before [him]. You have to give him credit [for that].”
As the veteran manager aptly pointed out, “This is about hype, business and making money,” and there are only a handful of title fights at 135lbs which the average fan will care about.
“Listen, Merab vs Figueiredo; nobody gives a s***, Merab vs Petr Yan; nobody cares. Now Umar and Merab; people care, Umar and Sean O’Malley; people care.”
- EXPLAINED: Sean O’Malley’s head coach reveals what he shouted for UFC 306 fight to be momentarily stopped