There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Sean O’Malley was recognized as the biggest star in mixed martial arts (MMA), though “Suga” argued that former two-division champion, Conor McGregor, still had the most box office clout.
But that was before O’Malley lost his bantamweight title at UFC 306 last fall in Las Vegas. And despite his best efforts, “Suga” failed to reclaim the crown in his UFC 316 rematch, falling to Merab Dvalishvili by way of third-round submission.
Does that mean the end of Dana White privilege?
“The UFC is probably not going to do him another layup favor in terms of stylistic matchup,” former opponent, Aljamain Sterling, said on his YouTube channel. “He’s going to have to fight the toughest guys at this point. I’m curious to see what is he going to look like in his approach, what is he going to change, and will people look at his style now, and realize what I’ve been saying from before years ago: He’s good, but there’s a couple of things. His style is very good and catered to winning against guys who are stationary fighters, and they don’t move a whole lot and predominantly not a grappler and he looks like a world beater.”
UFC has been accused of handpicking opponents to make O’Malley “look like a superstar.”
“Now we’ve seen with some opposition and everyone kind of figuring him out, in the top five we know is a different ball game,” Sterling continued. “Just like the Yan fight when he went from Pedro Munhoz to Yan. So, I’m curious to see how he’s going to bounce back. Even if he loses the next one, will it be a good performance? Because if he stays the same, a lot of people realize he’s good, but if you do X, Y and Z like Mario Bautista, those are tough fights for you. Kyler Phillips, those are tough fights for you. Merab, Umar (Nurmagomedov), those are tough fights. Even a Petr Yan, who’s a little bit more stationary, but once he gets moving and starts putting those hands on you, it’s a tougher fight for him.”
O’Malley barely squeaked past “No Mercy” at UFC 280.
Despite his pair of losses to Dvalishvili, widely-considered to be the greatest bantamweight champion in history, O’Malley (18-3, 1 NC) is still ranked No. 1 at 135 pounds. But to Sterling’s point, “Suga” may need to face No. 2-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov to keep his place in line, a contest that could prove to be his second-toughest fight to date, stylistically speaking.
For much more on O’Malley’s loss to Dvalishvili at UFC 316 click here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
