Sean O’Malley punches Marlon Vera.GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images
While he’s still no Conor McGregor, bantamweight champ Sean O’Malley has quickly become one of the biggest stars in the UFC and could help salvage UFC 303 if the Irishman is out of action.
O’Malley last fought at UFC 299 in March, when he battered Marlon “Chito” Vera in a one-sided decision victory. He’s had plenty of time to recover from the minimal damage he received in that fight, and interestingly, recently offered to step up and save UFC 303 by fighting influencer and boxer Jake Paul.
Paul, of course, outweighs O’Malley by at least 50 pounds and is also bound by an exclusive contract with the Professional Fighters League when it comes to competing in MMA, so that clearly isn’t happening.
However, O’Malley’s offer to fight Paul at UFC 303 implies he could be available to compete at the event if the promotion calls, and there is no shortage of viable opponents for him.
The most deserving contender is Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili, who has won straight fights, including wins over Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo. However, if he isn’t available for UFC 303 or simply prefers to fight O’Malley with a full camp, then the promotion could call upon other contenders like Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov, who are set to meet in Abu Dhabi in August.
That would force matchmakers to find a new main event for the Abu Dhabi card, but they’ve got plenty of time to make that happen.
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