Is Sean O'Malley making a mistake? 5 reasons why 'Sugar' should not move up to featherweight
Back in Sept. 2023, Sean O'Malley addressed a potential move up to the UFC featherweight division. O'Malley, who'd won the UFC bantamweight championship that August, humbly indicated that the then-UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski would likely beat him.
Ergo, 'Sugar' suggested he'd consider pursuing featherweight gold only when Volkanovski wasn't champion. Volkanovski's been knocked out twice since, losing to UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at lightweight in Oct. 2023 and dropping the featherweight belt to Ilia Topuria in Feb. 2024.
Speaking of which, O'Malley has been at loggerheads with the Georgian-Spanish Topuria. 'Sugar' took a jibe at him over his height. 'El Matador' responded by labeling the American "ugly." For his part, O'Malley has expressed interest in fighting the winner of the upcoming Topuria-Max Holloway featherweight title fight that'll transpire in October.
O'Malley has his sights set on capturing the featherweight title. Ambitious? Yes. Advisable? Not really. Today, we examine why O'Malley's 145-pound championship dream could be a nightmare in the making.
#5 The Jon Jones-Alexander Gustafsson dichotomy
MMA great Jon 'Bones' Jones defeated Alexander Gustafsson twice in UFC light heavyweight title fights. Another connection between the towering fighters is that both tested themselves in the heavyweight division.
Gustafsson's lone heavyweight bout saw him suffer a first-round submission defeat against ex-UFC heavyweight kingpin Fabricio Werdum in July 2020.
Meanwhile, Jones' heavyweight debut saw him beat former interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane via first-round submission to capture the vacant UFC heavyweight title in March 2023. 'Bones' currently reigns as the UFC heavyweight champion, whereas Gustafsson returned to light heavyweight.
The key difference was that Gustafsson didn't devote as much time to steadily bulking up, whereas Jones spent three years away from competition to get accustomed to his heavyweight frame. The hiatus was feasible for 'Bones,' as he'd already forged an unparalleled legacy at 205 pounds.
Nevertheless, Sean O'Malley's legacy-building journey as bantamweight champion has just begun, making a three-year hiatus highly unfeasible for him. Granted that one doesn't necessarily need that long to bulk up efficiently, but the fact remains that 'Sugar' would be fighting against naturally heavier foes if he heads to featherweight next. He'll probably need a year of bulking, at the very least.
At the sport's highest levels, even minute advantages in weight and elements of that ilk make a mammoth difference come fight night.
#4 Bantamweight rivals
Sean O'Malley puts his UFC bantamweight championship on the line against Georgian-American Merab Dvalishvili next. Their grudge match headlines UFC 306 (Riyadh Season Noche UFC) at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A., on Sept. 14, 2024.
Dvalishvili stands at No. 1 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. The undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov is at No. 2. Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan is ranked No. 3. Striking wizard Cory Sandhagen, who recently lost to Nurmagomedov, stands at No. 4. Former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo holds the No. 5 spot.
Sean O'Malley earned a closely-contested split decision victory over Yan in Oct. 2022, but he hasn't fought the other aforementioned top-five bantamweights. Dagestan's Umar Nurmagomedov, MMA icon Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin, is expected to fight the O'Malley-Dvalishvili winner for the bantamweight belt next.
With dangerous contenders like Nurmagomedov and Figueiredo (who's been wreaking havoc since moving to bantamweight) raring to dethrone him, Sean O'Malley should focus on his division for the time being. In addition, Dvalishvili could very well dethrone O'Malley and dash his featherweight dreams.
#3 Sailing on two boats
Only a select few fighters in MMA history captured world championships across multiple weight classes. Even fewer have been able to switch back and forth between two or more divisions. Only time will tell whether Sean O'Malley's featherweight move will be a temporary one or if he'll leave bantamweight for good.
Whatever happens, it's paramount that O'Malley should probably refrain from jumping to and fro between the two divisions. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he somehow manages to retain his bantamweight title, and even captures the featherweight title.
Even then, the constant weight fluctuations would surely chip away at Sean O'Malley's athleticism and holistic health. A decline in health is usually a death knell for a championship reign, particularly in the competitive and dangerous combat sports realm.
'Never sail on two boats' -- It's an old saying that's often used to dissuade people from juggling multiple tasks. The proverb implies that it's better to focus on one thing at a time rather than spreading yourself too thin and failing at both things. O'Malley risks making that very mistake if he doesn't fully commit to one weight class.
#2 Sean O'Malley's physical advantages would diminish at higher weights
Per the listings on his official UFC profile, Sean O'Malley stands at 5'11" tall with a 72-inch reach. The Montana-born Arizona resident oftentimes jibes at other fighters over their height, notably at former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo and at Merab Dvalishvili as well.
O'Malley hasn't spared UFC featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria either. Speaking of Topuria, his official UFC profile lists him as 5'7" tall with a 69-inch reach. Though the current featherweight champion is shorter and at a reach disadvantage against O'Malley, the consensus is that 'Sugar's' height and reach advantages would progressively fade away as he moves to higher weight classes.
If not against Topuria, then against other featherweights, Sean O'Malley would eventually have to fight someone similar in height and reach, perhaps even with an edge in those aspects. 'Sugar's' fighting style is built on him utilizing his height and reach to keep opponents at long range and snipe them.
Against similar-sized or taller/longer foes, he'll find himself in uncharted territory, which could spell doom against an elite featherweight.
#1 Fighting the Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway winner and the superstar conundrum
The unbeaten Ilia Topuria is on a collision course against former UFC featherweight champion and current BMF champion Max Holloway. Their highly-anticipated clash will have Topuria's UFC featherweight belt at stake and will headline UFC 308 on Oct. 26, 2024.
Many view Topuria as a legend in the making and deem Holloway a legend who's still as hungry as ever and relatively young.
Should Sean O'Malley manage to successfully defend his UFC bantamweight belt against Merab Dvalishvili, he'll possibly continue campaigning for a featherweight title shot against the Topuria-Holloway winner. Even if O'Malley's wish is granted, beating Topuria or Holloway at featherweight is no cakewalk.
Furthermore, Sean O'Malley is beheld as a superstar and one of the UFC's top draws right now. This brings to mind the classic superstar conundrum, something that MMA fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen ('The Bad Guy' himself!) often alludes to.
'Sugar's' superstar status brings in lucrative paydays. Regardless, it's a double-edged sword because his being booked against lower-tier opponents in any division is unlikely to be well-received. Therefore, he'll have to fight the featherweight elites, something that's easier said than done.
O'Malley's best bet would be to stick with bantamweight for a few years, notch successful title defenses, and build a legacy at that weight. He could test himself at featherweight later, after gradually growing into a naturally heavier frame.