Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley’s teammate will look to become the latest superstar off of DWCS.
Sean O’Malley is one of the biggest UFC stars in the promotion today, despite losing back-to-back fights against current UFC bantamweight titleholder Merab Dvalishvili. His journey to become one of the biggest names in Mixed Martial Arts began with a walkoff knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series.
O’Malley earned a UFC contract by knocking out Alfred Khashakyan in 2017. The finish produced a viral moment as Snoop Dogg had a wild reaction to O’Malley’s victory.
Eight years later, one of O’Malley’s top teammates, Tommy McMillen, is fighting for the same opportunity.
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Sean O’Malley’s star teammate Tommy McMillen set to fight for UFC contract
McMillen, unbeaten through his first eight professional fights, will fight David Mgoyan on September 2nd at the UFC Apex. McMillen has a similar build to O’Malley and has slick grappling to go with impressive power on the feet.
While O’Malley won’t be in McMillen’s corner during his DWCS fight, he’s keeping a keen eye on the matchup, and believes UFC fans need to prepare themselves to watch the promotion’s next potential superstar.
During a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow, O’Malley gave glowing praise for his highly-touted teammate.
“I’m excited for that fight. Lot of hype [on Tommy],” O’Malley said.
“I remember literally fighting when I was 16, 17, 18 years old in Great Falls, seeing him. He’s probably 4, 5 years younger than me, but seeing him walking around because his Dad used to fight, he’s been around it.
“There are very few people that are born to fight. That f—– guy is born to fight. But a very tough fight for the Contender Series, this fight could be a UFC fight, 100 percent.
McMillen trains alongside O’Malley, Mario Bautista, and other top names at MMA Lab in Arizona. All eight of McMillen’s wins have finished in the first round, including a 20-second knockout in his third professional fight.
O’Malley hasn’t fought since losing to Dvalishvili by submission at UFC 316 earlier this summer. Despite his coach teasing a potential move to featherweight, O’Malley could return by year’s end at bantamweight.
One top UFC analyst predicts O’Malley to overcome his two losses to Dvalishvili and regain the UFC bantamweight title next year.
Sean O’Malley predicted to regain bantamweight title in 2026
UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen predicts O’Malley will become the UFC’s latest two-time titleholder next year. He cited Dvalishvili’s potentially expiring stint at bantamweight, which could open the door to O’Malley getting another title shot.
Dvalishvili returns to the Octagon in October at UFC 320 against Cory Sandhagen in the card’s co-main event bout. If Dvalishvili earns another dominant win over Sandhagen, he could potentially fight again in December.
O’Malley’s current losing streak is the first of his career, after losing just one of his previous 20 professional fights before the current skid. He’ll look to get back on track later this year, and his star teammate McMillen could join him on a card.