When Sean O’Malley returns to the Octagon, he expects to challenge for the UFC bantamweight championship.
O’Malley became the new No. 1 contender after he defeated Petr Yan by split decision in a ‘Fight of the Night’ awarded outing at UFC 280 this past October. At that same event, reigning UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling dispatched T.J. Dillashaw via second-round TKO, notching his second consecutive defense.
With their respective wins, Sterling and O’Malley appear to be on a collision course, but their fight may not happen soon. ’Suga’ told Marc Raimondi of ESPN that he expects to fight again in mid-2023, so Sterling could try to squeeze in another defense between now and then.