Sean O'Malley is officially the UFC bantamweight champion. O'Malley earned UFC gold after knocking out Aljamain Sterling in the second round of their UFC 292 headliner last night in Boston, Mass. However, it's one thing to become the champion. A real champion is one who defends his title and that's what O'Malley plans on doing.
He certainly isn't lacking for options in what is a shark tank of a bantamweight division either. So with that said, here are five potential opponents Sean O'Malley could fight for his first 135-pound title defense following UFC 292.
Marlon Vera
This is the fight that makes the most sense. Both fighters were calling for it leading up to UFC 292, and with them winning last night, the stars have seemingly aligned. O'Malley even chose a date for the fight.
“Did Chito win? Was it boring? Probably,” O'Malley said in his post-fight interview. “I'll whoop Chito's ass in December in Las Vegas at T-Mobile. Let's f*****g go, baby!”
Vera — who defeated Pedro Munhoz on the undercard — notably was the first and only fighter to beat O'Malley when they fought three years ago. O'Malley hasn't really accepted the defeat since as he believes it was essentially a fluke given how his peroneal nerve was damaged from a Vera leg kick. However, he certainly wants to run things back and Vera is down for it as well.
If Sterling vs. O'Malley was the biggest bantamweight headliner ever, O'Malley vs. Vera should do even better given their animosity and history together.
Aljamain Sterling rematch
Of course, there's also the option of a rematch with Sterling. “Funk Master” declared he'd be moving up to featherweight after UFC 292, but that mainly hinged on whether he beat Sean O'Malley. With the loss, he needs time to figure things out. That said, an immediate rematch is something that seems to be his preference.
“I would like to think I've earned my right to get an immediate rematch,” Sterling said post-fight. “I've lost before. I've been knocked out before. I've picked myself up and become UFC champion. Don't be surprised if you see me back here again.”
Whether he gets it remains to be seen. Sterling hasn't exactly endeared himself to the UFC brass and has a spotty relationship with UFC president Dana White to say the least. And with O'Malley campaigning for Vera, Sterling's chances of an immediate rematch have seemingly taken another hit. That said, the UFC does like booking immediate rematches and Sterling definitely has the body of work to warrant one.
Merab Dvalishvili
Another option for O'Malley could be the red-hot Merab Dvalishvili. If it wasn't for his teammate Sterling being champion all this while, Dvalishvili would have gotten a title shot ages ago. And so, he was expected to be the biggest beneficiary of Sterling moving up to 145. That no longer seems to be the case, but Dvalishvili still has a shot at fighting O'Malley.
The two have some heat between them — especially with the whole jacket saga — and O'Malley has continued to mock the Georgian following his win over Sterling. If Sterling doesn't get an immediate rematch and the Vera fight doesn't come to fruition, there's no better option than Dvalishvili who will also be looking to avenge Sterling in the process.
Henry Cejudo
One big reason O'Malley wants to fight Vera is because of their history and the fact that the rematch would be a huge fight because of that history. In that same vein, arguably the biggest name O'Malley could fight today is former two-weight champion Henry Cejudo. Although Cejudo lost in his return after three years to Sterling back in May, it was a close and competitive fight, and his stock certainly didn't go down.
Cejudo notably called O'Malley out following UFC 292 and if anything else, would be a great name for the latter to add to his growing resume.
Petr Yan
This is the least likely option, but it's certainly one that would entice fans quite a lot compared to some of the other options. Somehow, we're in a world where Yan is on a three-fight losing streak. His defeat to Sterling in the rematch was contentious while his most recent defeat to Dvalishvili was decisive. However, sandwiched in between those fights was his back-and-forth encounter with Sean O'Malley last year that resulted in a split decision defeat for the Russian.
Despite the competitive nature of the fight, the result caused outrage for many in the combat sports world as they felt Yan did more than enough to get the victory. What better way for O'Malley to set the record straight than by facing Yan again in a rematch?
Our rematch have to happen sooner or later…
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) August 20, 2023
The only issue would be that Yan needs to get back on the win column before he can get another title shot. But with Sterling no longer champion and how his first fight with O'Malley went, there's certainly a path for “No Mercy” to become UFC champion again.
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