Former bantamweight champion “Suga” Sean O’Malley’s return to the octagon may be delayed longer than anticipated. The recently dethroned O’Malley (18-2-1) relinquished his title to Merab Dvalishvili last Saturday at UFC 306. “Suga” later revealed that he had sustained an injury during his camp ten weeks before the fight date.
Former Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley Hip Injury Forces Hiatus from Competition
Sean spoke with web broadcaster Adin Ross, during which he explained that his left labrum had been torn and that he would be undergoing surgery on October 3rd. This means that Sean could be away from competition for anywhere from six months to one year, allowing time for recovery as well as preparation for his next training camp.
I have surgery on Oct. 3. I tore my left labrum in my hip. That’s the only reason I’ll be out for so long. This surgery should only take two months to recover from, followed by a couple of months of rehabilitation. A year is a long time—it could be six to eight months. You never know.
Cory Sandhagen, fellow Bantamweight contender, has already called out Sean on Instagram. If O’Malley were to accept, that translates to at least summer of 2025 before the fight could take place.
Omalley’s rival Henry Cejudo also immediately took to social media to express their opinion after Sean’s loss to Merab.
Cejudo Chimes In
Despite the injury, O’Malley has made it clear to fans and critics, that he will not use it as an excuse for his unanimous decision loss. Sean was controlled and taken down multiple times during the fight, and humbly maintains that he felt good. He was just beaten by the better man that night.
Best weight cut, felt good, no excuses. My mom asked, ‘You just weren’t the same—what was wrong?’ Nothing. I just got beat. Everyone keeps asking me, ‘Something seemed off.’ No excuses.
In the meantime, we’ll have to settle for watching “The Suga Show” on Twitch, where he regularly broadcasts live gameplay and chats with his fans.
Let’s wish O’Malley a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing “The Suga Show” back in the octagon again soon!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
