Chael Sonnen gives four-word reaction to Ariel Helwani's latest pitch for Sean O'Malley's next fight
Chael Sonnen seemingly disagreed with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani's proposed next fight for Sean O'Malley. The former bantamweight champion lost the title to Merab Dvalishvili at Noche UFC 306 in September. The date and opponent for his return have not been announced so far.
Following Peter Yan's UFC Macau win over Deiveson Figueiredo on Nov. 23, Helwani took to X and proposed a rematch between Yan and O'Malley next.
"Suga x Yan 2. Let’s see it. That’s the one."
Ex-UFC fighter and analyst Sonnen, who does not seem to like the idea, responded to the post:
"Surely you aren’t serious..."
For the uninitiated, O'Malley defeated Yan by a controversial split decision at UFC 280 to earn his bantamweight title shot. The loss was a part of Yan's unsuccessful 1-3 run after winning the bantamweight title at UFC 251. He has defeated Figueiredo and Song Yadong in recent outings to get on a winning streak.
After capturing the 135-pound title from O'Malley, Dvalishvili had expressed the desire to fight Figueiredo, the former two-time flyweight champion. In the UFC Macau octagon interview, Yan staked his claim at the title shot and called Dvalishvili out for a rematch. He lost to 'The Machine' by unanimous decision in their March 2023 meeting.
When asked if he would rematch Cory Sandhagen or O'Malley if the title fight does not materialize, Yan proclaimed victory over both men and said at the post-fight press conference:
"I don't know who I am going to fight next. I haven't decided yet. It's more of a question for the UFC matchmaker. I will fight anybody. I already beat both Sean O'Malley and Cory Sandhagen. I already beat them before."
Check out Petr Yan's comments below (7:59):
Chael Sonnen sees potential in Mike Perry's fight promotion
Former UFC fighter and bare-knuckle fighting star Mike Perry started his promotion 'Dirty Boxing Championship'. A 225-pound bout between Yoel Romero and Duane Crespo headlined the promotion's inaugural event on Nov. 23.
Ariel Helwani took to X and shared the event's details. According to Helwani's post and the promotion's poster, it was a closed-door event that the audience could attend on an invite-only basis. The video clips and fight highlights were released on social media post-event.
Chael Sonnen responded to Helwani's post, writing:
"Sounds promising as a business."