Former champ Sean O’Malley wants to fight in front of President Donald Trump again.
Montana native O’Malley was one of the last Americans to hold a UFC title, losing his bantamweight strap to current champ Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in the Las Vegas Sphere.
After ‘locking in’ and cutting out several vices from his life, O’Malley rematched Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 316 this past June. President Donald Trump was cageside for the title fight in New Jersey.
Unfortunately, Dvalishvili’s grappling pressure would be too much for ‘Suga’ as O’Malley tapped out to a submission in the third round.
O’Malley looks to return to the win column in the next several months, hoping to set up a future fight at the UFC’s White House event in June—but, against who?
Sean O’Malley says he could potentially fight Cory Sandhagen at UFC White House
Amid rumors of him fighting Song Yadong in December, O’Malley has got his eye on the next bantamweight title fight between champ Dvalishvili and first-time undisputed title challenger Cory Sandhagen.
Dvalishvili vs. Sandhagen co-headlines UFC 320 on Oct. 4.
As plans ramp up for The White House, O’Malley could see himself fighting Sandhagen on the South Lawn next summer.
“I definitely would, absolutely love to be on that card,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel.
“God, Cory vs. Merab…” O’Malley said after someone mentioned Sandhagen as a possible opponent for him.
“I’m so curious how that fight plays out.
“I mean, Cory goes out there wins, I beat whoever’s next. That’s interesting.
“That could [happen],” O’Malley said of a potential title fight with Sandhagen.
“But regardless, I want to fight within the next four or five months, whatever it is, and I’ll also be ready for that.
“If I can get one in early next year, end of this year, one of the two—count me in. I want to be on that card,” O’Malley said of fighting at The White House.
What if Merab Dvalishvili beats Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320?
With back-to-back losses to Dvalishvili, O’Malley’s odds of getting another title shot aren’t so great as long as ‘The Machine’ is on the bantamweight throne.
Should Dvalishvili successfully defend his title against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, O’Malley will likely need multiple wins to secure another fight with Dvalishvili.
Dvalishvili has recently expressed interest in rematching Petr Yan after Sandhagen.
Dvalishvili also named Mario Bautista as a potential title challenger, but the top contender has to get past Umar Nurmagomedov first at UFC 321.