Sean O’Malley is arguably more popular than ever after defending his UFC bantamweight title for the first time against Marlon Vera. The champ not only avenged his first UFC loss, but also shut down a ton of doubters.
O’Malley last fought in March 2024 and fans are eager to see him back in the Octagon. At this time, the bantamweight division lacks clear-cut title challengers and Merab Dvalishvili is the only fighter with a strong case.
So, who is O’Malley’s next fight and when will the champ return to action?
Who Will Sean O’Malley Fight Next?
Although the UFC has yet to confirm it, O’Malley will most likely fight Dvalishvili next. He can’t aim for a super fight with Ilia Topuria for the featherweight title because the latter is expected to fight Max Holloway.
Similarly, top-ranked fighters in the UFC bantamweight division are either scheduled for matchups or lack an impressive latest win. In contrast, Dvalishvili is riding a ten-fight win streak including wins over Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, and José Aldo.
“The Machine” and “Suga” have also been calling each other out on social media for quite a few months now. There were strong rumors about their fight being the main event of the Riyadh Season Noche UFC card. However, the bantamweight kingpin has clarified that nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
On July 23, 2024, here’s what O’Malley said about his next fight on his official YouTube podcast:
“Me vs Merab is next. Everyone knows it. We just don’t know when. We don’t know where. And that’s kind of where that’s at.” He added, “I’m very excited about that fight. Still nothing. Waiting for the UFC to, you know, finally kind of tell us what’s next. Is it going to be Sphere? Is it going to be December, we’re all f*****g on our edge of our seats, waiting.”
When is Sean O’Malley’s Next Fight?
O’Malley is most likely to fight in the UFC’s Sphere Event or in December which could be UFC 310. His coach previously claimed that the UFC is finding a new date for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, potentially leading to the delay in confirming other anticipated fights.
So, for now, fans worldwide can be very certain about O’Malley’s next fight to be Merab Dvalishvili. However, the fight date and venue are hard to speculate unless the UFC announces them officially.
