Sean O’Malley finds himself out of the title picture after a devastating setback at UFC 316.
O’Malley unsuccessfully challenged Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of Saturday’s pay-per-view, which took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
While O’Malley had hoped that his lifestyle changes and improved preparation would pave the way for his revenge against the Georgian, that ultimately wasn’t the case.
After defeating ‘Suga’ on the scorecards last year, Dvalishvili submitted O’Malley in round three at UFC 316, marking his second successful title defense and 13th straight win inside the Octagon.
While ‘The Machine’ looks ahead to his likely next challenge against Cory Sandhagen, O’Malley’s next step is unclear. But it seems that he already has at least one option — and it’s another rematch.
Aljamain Sterling is open to Sean O’Malley rematch after being at ’50 percent’ the first time around
Aljamain Sterling, the champ’s longtime friend and training partner, was close by to watch Dvalishvili’s second victory over O’Malley.
‘Funk Master’ himself is familiar with both the bantamweight title and ‘Suga’, having held the 135-pound gold in a record-breaking reign before O’Malley knocked Sterling out in 2023.
Sterling has since bid farewell to the bantamweight division and has gone 1-1 across two fights at featherweight thus far.
With some advising O’Malley to follow him up to 145 pounds after two straight losses to Dvalishvili, Sterling revealed on X that he’d be more than happy to run it back with the Montana native.
“Let the former champ rest. But I would absolutely LOVE to show him what a healthy version of myself would do. He’s got great skills but I still know that was 50% version of myself,” Sterling wrote.
It’s back to the drawing board for Sean O’Malley
For now, O’Malley will likely take time to rest and recover before deciding on his next steps.
‘Suga’ is now winless in 13 months, having suffered two losses to Dvalishvili since his one and only successful title defense opposite Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in Miami.
If ‘The Machine’ continues his dominance on the 135-pound throne, O’Malley could be set for a long road back to another title shot should he choose to continue in the weight class.
O’Malley avoided discussions about his future while speaking to Joe Rogan inside the Octagon at UFC 316, instead staying classy with his congratulations for Dvalishvili and gratitude toward the fans.
O’Malley has previously addressed a future move up to featherweight, and during UFC 316 fight week, his coach claimed ‘Suga’ could “definitely hang” with the big names up at 145 pounds.