When it comes to mixed martial arts (MMA), a week can make a big difference.
Earlier this week, Sean O’Malley lamented his current position in the UFC system. He made his big return against Song Yadong at UFC 324 on January 24, and the fight order for the card was announced. O’Malley had been called up by the UFC to headline their biggest gate ever at The Sphere, but he was relegated to the third-to-last fight.
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“I’m not even a co-star,” O’Malley complained on his YouTube channel. “Man, I had a bad fall. This is so embarrassing. What’s next? Prelims? Early prelims? Suga Show stock is down hard right now.”
Of course, he came in third. But that was in two title fights! Although O’Malley’s loss was overturned by the Suga Sports Commission, he currently still does not have the belt. It looks like he’ll remain that way as long as Merab Dvalishivil – who defeated him twice – remains champion. A week ago, it seemed like this was going to be the case for a long time.
But the MMA gods scoffed at such assumptions when Petr Yan wrested the belt from Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323 in what was supposed to be Merab’s Fighter of the Year victory lap (watch the highlights here ). Now all of a sudden, Suga stock is hot again.
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That’s because O’Malley is coming off a slightly questionable split decision victory over Petr Yan in October 2022, but his performance against Yan at UFC 280 was better than Dvalishvili’s performance at UFC 323.这场W，再加上UFC 明确希望通过可赚钱的冠军争夺战给新的转播合作伙伴留下深刻印象，让奥马利为他的前冠军头衔再次发起冲击。
All O’Malley has to do is top Song Yadong in impressive fashion at UFC 324 to cash in on this “Dana White privilege.” And there’s a good chance he can. “Suga” hasn’t fought a stand-up opponent like Yadong since defeating Chito Vera in 2024. Two back-to-back losses to Dvalishvili in the past year have made many forget just how good he is. He has the perfect opportunity to remind them in January.
If he does, there might be a title fight waiting for him on the other side against Peter Yan.
For more UFC 323 results, coverage and highlights, click here.