UFC fans are not happy with Dana White's plan for Sean O'Malley.
The former bantamweight champion hasn't fought since suffering a lopsided title loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in September.
'Suga' is currently recovering from hip surgery. Meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili is set to defend his new title for the first time when he takes on Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in California on Saturday night.
The UFC boss has revealed Sean O'Malley's place in the 135-pound pecking order ahead of his first pay-per-view show of 2025.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Dana White suggests the title shot is next for Sean O'Malley
After such a resounding loss, O'Malley still appears to have work to do before he is deemed worthy of a title shot, especially in a rematch with Dvalishvili.
However, Dana White sees him as next in line regardless of who wins the UFC 311 co-main event this weekend.
“I think he's going to keep a close eye on this fight and possibly fight the winner,” the MMA mogul said when asked about O'Malley during an interview with Jim Rome.
White was then asked how quickly O'Malley's comeback fight will come together.
He added: “We'll see. I don't know yet how Saturday will go.
“We would make that decision the following Tuesday during matchmaking.”
It's safe to say that UFC fans hate the idea of O'Malley getting another title shot.
A clip of White's update on O'Malley was flooded with comments protesting the decision – even though there is no clear number one bantamweight contender at the moment.
One fan said: “That's a terrible idea considering @SugaSeanMMA (who would beat my ass) would get destroyed by both of them.”
Another added: “Manufactured star gets manufactured title shot.”
A third person said angrily: “These instant retakes must stop unless the flight is close. He was destroyed.”
Someone else joked: “Dana White Privilege.”
Merab Dvalishvili promises he won't kiss at UFC 311
After the hilarious stunt in his last fight, Dvalishvili has vowed not to kiss Nurmagomedov at UFC 311.
During the main event of UFC 306, Dvalishvili found himself in a dominant position against O'Malley. And with seconds left in the round, he goaded his rival by kissing him on the back several times before referee Herb Dean warned him about the move.
This time there seems to be a much more heated feud between the two title contenders and no such antics will happen. Instead, Dvalishvili insists he will simply fight his way to victory.
Speaking exclusively to Bloody Elbow as part of his partnership with Stake, the bantamweight champion explained: “Nurmagomedov is actually cocky. That's his problem. He thinks he did this easily, but he never confronted me.
“And believe me, he'll know tonight. He will realize that he is going to fight me and he will be humble. I never said he wasn't a good fighter. I say he's a good fighter, but he takes the shortcut, you know
“He cheated a bit because he didn't fight anyone and guys on their debut. And then he fought the debut guy against number two, you know, that's a gift and that's a shortcut. And that's not how you want to earn your title fight.
'That's not right. I think he should have fought one more. Maybe against Song Yadong. But when the UFC asked me, I said, okay, I'll fight him.
“But I wanted to fight in February or March. But that's what I said. Why don't I like him? Because he called me a fake champion. Moreover, he was disrespectful to my country.”
When asked if he wanted to repeat the stunt again at the end of Bloody Elbow's chat, Dvalishvili laughed off the idea and joked that there would be “no kiss, just a slap!” He also refused to be swayed by the reason he behaved the way he did.
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