Sean O’Malley News

Jonathan Haggerty
ONE Championship

ONE Championship's Jonathan Haggerty teases idea of showdown with UFC's Sean O'Malley

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 28, 2025

ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty knows how to rile up combat sports fans.   In his latest attempt, “The General” took to his Instagram story with an altered image of him battling former UFC Bantamweight World Champion “Sugar” Sean O’Malley. 

Cory Sandhagen and Sean O'Malley
Sean O'Malley

Cory Sandhagen calls for a showdown with former UFC champion Sean O'Malley: "He's going to get beat up"

Josh Evanoff - January 23, 2025

Cory Sandhagen wants a fight against former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. ‘Sugar’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since a September title defense against Merab Dvalishvili. The bout was Sean O’Malley’s second defense of bantamweight gold, having scored a decision win over Marlon Vera last April. Ultimately, ‘The Machine’ wound up outwresting the champion en route to a unanimous decision win in the main event of Noche UFC, ending the striker’s title reign.

Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley
Sean O'Malley

Sean O'Malley's coach believes a healthy 'Suga' is Merab Dvalishvili's 'kryptonite': "We take him out"

Cole Shelton - January 20, 2025

Tim Welch the coach of Sean O’Malley believes his fighter is the kryptonite for Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley lost his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili in September at the Sphere. Dvalishvili was able to impose his will with his cardio and wrestling to win the fight. However, O’Malley was injured in the fight which Welch believes played a big role.

Sean O’Malley
UFC

Tim Welch explains why Sean O’Malley ditched social media following UFC title loss to Merab Dvalishvili

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 8, 2025

Sean O’Malley has taken a break from social media, and his head coach has explained why. O’Malley is currently recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. It’s an injury that “Suga” was dealing with prior to his UFC Bantamweight Championship loss to Merab Dvalishvili. While some might’ve thought that the time away from training would make O’Malley want to rev up his business on social media, that isn’t the case.

Sean O'Malley
Sean O'Malley

Sean O'Malley hopes to compete in future UFC Japan event after attending RIZIN 49: "There's good energy here"

Josh Evanoff - January 1, 2025

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley wants to fight in Japan. ‘Sugar’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since his title defense against Merab Dvalishvili in September. Just over a year after becoming champion after beating Aljamain Sterling, Sean O’Malley’s title reign came to an end. ‘The Machine’ dominated in the UFC 306 headliner, ultimately earning a unanimous decision.

Sean O'Malley
UFC

Sean O'Malley explains why he's taking a break from social media

Harry Kettle - December 27, 2024

UFC star Sean O’Malley has explained why he wants to take a break from social media ahead of his proposed return to the cage. As we know, Sean O’Malley is one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts. He has accomplished some amazing things throughout the course of his career, including becoming UFC bantamweight champion.

Sean O'Malley
Merab Dvalishvili

Sean O’Malley takes aim at former opponents Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili after UFC 310

Harry Kettle - December 8, 2024

UFC star Sean O’Malley has taken a shot at former opponents Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili following UFC 310. As was the case for most of us last night, Sean O’Malley was watching closely during a really fascinating UFC 310 pay-per-view event. It featured some notable moments for two of his rivals, too, with Aljamain Sterling losing to Movsar Evloev and Merab Dvalishvili getting involved in a fight with a fan in the crowd.

Sean O'Malley
UFC

Sean O’Malley confirms he will be in attendance for UFC 311: “Need to see who I fight next”

Harry Kettle - December 7, 2024

UFC star Sean O’Malley has confirmed that he will be in attendance for the blockbuster UFC 311 event next month. For many, ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley is one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts. He enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence in the UFC, capped off by him winning the UFC bantamweight championship by knocking out Aljamain Sterling. Following that, he went on to successfully defend the belt against long-time rival Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.

Sean O'Malley and Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo

Daniel Cormier shares his bantamweight wishlist, including Sean O’Malley vs. Henry Cejudo

Harry Kettle - November 27, 2024

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has shared his wishlist for bantamweight, including Sean O’Malley vs Henry Cejudo. Ever since he lost the UFC bantamweight championship, we haven’t heard much regarding the future of Sean O’Malley. Some believe he should get an immediate rematch against Merab Dvalishvili, whereas others disagree. Right now, it seems more likely that Petr Yan or Umar Nurmagomedov will receive such an opportunity.

Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley
Petr Yan

Sean O’Malley reacts to Merab Dvalishvili’s recent callout of Petr Yan: “Merab is absolutely s***ing himself terrified of Umar”

Harry Kettle - November 26, 2024

Sean O’Malley doesn’t believe that Merab Dvalishvili is overly interested in the idea of fighting Umar Nurmagomedov. As we know, Merab Dvalishvili is the rightful UFC bantamweight champion. He defeated Sean O’Malley to claim the belt for the first time and ever since then, fans have been wondering who he’ll defend against first. Some have suggested an O’Malley rematch, whereas others believe Umar Nurmagomedov and Petr Yan are the top two contenders – especially after the latter’s win over Deiveson Figueiredo last weekend.

Sean O'Malley, Aljamain Sterling
Sean O'Malley

Aljamain Sterling admits he contemplated retirement after loss to Sean O'Malley at UFC 292

Curtis Calhoun - November 12, 2024

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling’s title reign ended against Sean O’Malley and nearly brought his career to a screeching halt. Sterling will face undefeated featherweight contender Movsar Evloev at UFC 310 next month. He returns to the Octagon looking to secure a potential featherweight title shot with a victory over Evloev.

Ilia Topuria and Sean OMalley UFC
Sean O'Malley

Sean O'Malley still gives Ilia Topuria problems in UFC fight, says coach Tim Welch

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 31, 2024

Sean O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch has full belief in his fighter to give Ilia Topuria some issues if they ever fight. O’Malley may have lost the UFC Bantamweight Championship to Merab Dvalishvili back in September, but Welch believes a future clash with Topuria remains possible. Obviously, the “Suga” show will need to focus on regaining the 135-pound gold before looking at the featherweight king.

Sean O'Malley and Umar Nurmagomedov
UFC

Umar Nurmagomedov torches 'bum' Sean O'Malley for UFC title loss to Merab Dvalishvili

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 18, 2024

Umar Nurmagomedov has slammed Sean O’Malley for his efforts in a title-losing performance against Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley and Dvalishvili collided inside the Sphere in Las Vegas for UFC 306. The “Suga” show had his moments, but Dvalishvili’s relentless pressure and grappling were on full display. It led to a unanimous decision win for the proud Georgian, who is now the UFC bantamweight champion.

Conor McGregor, Sean O'Malley
Sean O'Malley

Conor McGregor offers Sean O'Malley all-expenses paid trip to train with him in Ireland: "He would regain his title!"

Curtis Calhoun - October 14, 2024

Now that Conor McGregor and Sean O’Malley have squashed their beef, McGregor wants O’Malley and his longtime coach Tim Welch to train on his home soil. O’Malley lost the UFC bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 last month. The loss snapped a lengthy unbeaten streak and ended his bantamweight title reign.

Sean O'Malley, Jose Aldo
Sean O'Malley

Sean O'Malley shows interest in facing 'legend' Jose Aldo in UFC return: "That would be f*cking crazy"

Josh Evanoff - October 14, 2024

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley wants to fight Jose Aldo. ‘Sugar’ is fresh off his return to the cage at the Las Vegas Sphere last month. Back for the first time since a unanimous decision victory over Marlon Vera in April, Sean O’Malley faced Merab Dvalishvili. The two headlined the massive Noche UFC card, in what was supposed to be another star-making performance for the champion.

Sean O'Malley and Umar Nurmagomedov
UFC

Sean O’Malley sends Umar Nurmagomedov a warning over potentially losing bantamweight title shot: "Suck my sac if you don’t like that"

Cole Shelton - October 9, 2024

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has sent Umar Nurmagomedov a warning. Nurmagomedov appears to be next in line for the bantamweight title shot against Merab Dvalishvili. However, O’Malley has been calling for a rematch and Dvalishvili has also expressed interest in it.

Sean O'Malley
UFC

Sean O'Malley provides update after surgery, plans to come back sooner than expected: "I feel great"

Cole Shelton - October 7, 2024

Sean O’Malley is expecting his layoff to be a lot shorter than originally planned. Following O’Malley suffering a decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili to lose his bantamweight title, he revealed he would be having surgery. The plan for O’Malley was to take several months off and look to return sometime next summer. However, after undergoing surgery on Thursday, ‘Suga’ says he feels great and plans on coming back much sooner.

Jose Aldo and Sean O'Malley
Sean O'Malley

Jose Aldo eyes Sean O'Malley with a win at UFC 307: "A great fight"

Cole Shelton - October 3, 2024

Jose Aldo is hopeful to face Sean O’Malley next time out. Aldo is set to return to the Octagon on the main card of UFC 307 on Saturday against Mario Bautista. It’s an intriguing matchup, but it is not the biggest name for Aldo. Since making his return to the UFC, Aldo has fought Jonathan Martinez and now Bautista, which Aldo says he was hopeful to get bigger names.