"Lot of options in that division" - Sean O'Malley discusses potential Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland rematchÂ
Sean O'Malley has given his thoughts on a potential Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland rematch.
Strickland put his UFC middleweight title on the line last month but ultimately came up short against du Plessis in a back-and-forth encounter. At the end of the highly competitive five-round round main event, the South African challenger managed to edge out a split decision victory.
Since the bout, there's been tons of speculation about what's next for du Plessis. While many have urged the UFC to book Israel Adesanya next for 'Stillknocks', a potential rematch against Strickland is also potentially on the table.
Speaking about it during a recent interview with Helen Yee, O'Malley had this to say:
"Yeah I think he could do that [rematch with Strickland]. I think Jared Cannonier is also right there looking for a title shot. And then you got Izzy vs. DDP, you have Strickland, you could have Cannonier, again, a lot of options in that division, I'd be good with whatever."
Catch Sean O'Malley's comments below (8:48):
Sean O'Malley predicts a knockout against Marlon Vera
Sean O'Malley is high in confidence ahead of his rematch against Marlon Vera. The two previously met at UFC 252 when the latter won the fight via a first-round TKO, albeit with a rare injury playing a major role.
With less than two months until the next bantamweight title fight, O'Malley spoke with MMA content creator The Schmo and predicted a dominant defense of his championship. The UFC bantamweight champion promised that he would reach a new level in the fight and leave viewers in awe of his skill set.
However, despite predicting a knockout victory over Vera at UFC 299, O'Malley did acknowledge his opponent's durability. He said:
"We're gonna see something that we've seen before [from me] which is a KO. But I just think this level of performance I'm about to put on is going to be something just unseen before. The reason is because Chito is so tough and so durable. So I'm going to have to hit him with [so many strikes]. It's just gonna be a beautiful, masterful performance."
Catch Sean O'Malley's comments below (1:19):