Daniel Cormier pitches a fresh challenge for Sean O’Malley’s UFC comeback fight after losing the bantamweight title

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has an idea for who Sean O'Malley should face in his return to the Octagon for the first time since losing the bantamweight title.

Sean O'Malley lost to Merab Dvalishvili in the UFC 306 main event, abruptly ending the 'Suga Show' reign over the UFC's most stacked division. He lost to Dvalishvili by unanimous decision, despite claiming in the following days that he felt he deserved the nod on the judges' scorecards.

O'Malley is in the middle of some downtime away from the Octagon after undergoing hip surgery immediately following UFC 306. But he has been teasing a return to the cage in recent weeks, especially for a possible rematch with Dvalishvili in 2025.

O'Malley has made himself a pay-per-view star during his career, and regardless of who he fights, many eyes will be on his Octagon appearances. Cormier believes a fight with a former champion would be enough for O'Malley to make a case for another title contender with a win.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Daniel Cormier pitched Sean O'Malley vs. Henry Cejudo for 2025

On a recent episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen, Cormier threw O'Malley vs. Cejudo. Cormier also put together a number of potential Top 10 matchups, including who Dvalishvili should face for his first title defense.

Cormier's Matchmaking (UFC Rankings as of November 25, 2024):

• Merab Dvalishvili (C) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (#2)
• Deiveson Figueiredo (#5) vs. Dominick Cruz (NR)
• Cory Sandhagen (#4) vs. Petr Yan 2 (#3)
• Sean O'Malley (#1) vs. Henry Cejudo (#7)
• Marlon Vera (#6) vs. Mario Bautista (#10)

Dvalishvili appeared to offer Petr Yan a title shot following Yan's win over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Macau. Umar Nurmagomedov, who most believe deserves the next title, criticized Dvalishvili in response on social media.

Cejudo has not fought since losing to Dvalishvili at UFC 298 by unanimous decision. He is 0-2 since retiring from the UFC last year.

O'Malley and Cejudo have been going back and forth online for years. During a brief appearance on Cejudo's podcast with Kamaru Usman, O'Malley fired a brutal shot at Cejudo before leaving.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Sean O'Malley returned to training this week after recovering from hip surgery

O'Malley returned to the gym this week as he prepares for his UFC return. He may get a fight booked in the coming weeks for the first quarter of 2025, although his desired timeline for another fight is uncertain.

Before losing to Dvalishvili at UFC 306, O'Malley had recent victories over Aljamain Sterling, Marlon Vera and Yan. The loss ended a seven-fight undefeated streak.

Cejudo, like O'Malley, wants to go on a redemption tour and reclaim the bantamweight throne. His last win came against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in his only bantamweight title defense before retiring.

Cormier believes O'Malley vs. Cejudo is the fight to be had as both former champions look to return to the top of the bantamweight division.

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