Sean O’Malley still has no idea when he’s going to fight next or against who, but he’s hoping the rumors he’s heard floating around are true.
The UFC seems to like keeping “Suga” in the dark on future fight dates. The former bantamweight champion started training for his 2024 Noche UFC fight weeks before the promotion confirmed he’d headline just so he could get a full camp in, and it seems like they’re being just as secretive about his return following a June loss to Merab Dvalishvili.
“Everyone and
their grandmother is sending me screenshots of Song Yadong vs. Suga December 6th,” O’Malley said on a recent YouTube video. “People are saying ‘Yo, congrats,’ ‘Fight camp starts.’ All this and that. And I’m assuming it started because someone sent me, when the fights were in China, Song took a picture with Merab and said he’s fighting me next or whatever.”
“To be honest, I don’t know what the plan is,” he clarified. “There’s nothing official on my side. I haven’t talked to UFC specifically on who, when, where. Song seems like a great next opponent, though. I mean, it makes sense. I like the matchup. That seems good.”
“As far as the date goes, December, January, February, f–kin’ November. I’m good to go. I’m ready to go. Call me for next week … and I’ll probably say that’s too short notice. But I do like the matchup. Makes sense. I’m healthy, I’m good, training like a motherf–ker. I like that matchup a lot.”
“Me vs. Song? If that’s what’s next? Hell yeah.”
O’Malley has good reason to be excited for that matchup. Aside from Marlon Vera, he’s been fighting smothering grapplers for the past two years. A fight with a fellow striker is just what he needs to erase the memory of being bullied around the cage by Merab Dvalishvili in his last two fights.
As for when, we doubt the UFC will call O’Malley for UFC 322 in November. That card is already stacked with Islam Makhachev fighting Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title and Zhang Weili vs. Valentina Shevchenko for the women’s flyweight title. Song vs. O’Malley would be the perfect fight to add for all the Chinese fans tuning in to see Zhang, but we just can’t see the TKO bean counters allowing that much awesome on one card.
UFC 323 on December 6th remains relatively empty at this point and could use a name like O’Malley’s on it … but TKO business interests may dictate “Suga” return in 2026 as part of the UFC’s new broadcast deal with Paramount CBS.
We’ll keep you updated on where the “Suga” Show lands, and against who.
