Sean O'Malley reveals upcoming surgery will force him out of UFC for nearly a year, says he's still sad about title loss
Sean O'Malley recently opened up about his title loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 last weekend and shared a potential return timeline. O'Malley revealed that he is due to undergo surgery that could force him to the sidelines for nearly a year.
Dvalishvili defeated O'Malley via unanimous decision to win the UFC bantamweight title after putting on a dominant performance. While many expected O'Malley's striking prowess to make all the difference in this fight, 'The Machine' effectively neutralized his opponent's threat with his grappling and forward pressure over five rounds.
During a recent episode of his podcast, O'Malley spoke to streamer Adin Ross about his recent UFC outing. The former bantamweight king revealed he's set to undergo surgery and shared a potential return timeline. He said:
"I have surgery on Oct. 3... I tore my labrum 10 weeks ago... I tore my left labrum in my hip. That's the only reason I'm gonna be out for so long. This surgery should only take like two months to come back from, then a couple months recovery. A year is a long time, could be six to eight months... You never know."
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below:
Sean O'Malley says he's "still sad" about UFC 306 title loss to Merab Dvalishvili
Sean O'Malley's last fight didn't go as per his plan, and he recently shared his thoughts on losing the 135-pound strap to Merab Dvalishvili despite vowing to KO the Georgian-born fighter. The Montana native admitted that while he wasn't happy about losing, he focused on keeping a positive mindset to recover mentally.
In the aftermath of the loss, O'Malley shared his reaction via social media and admitted that he was upset about losing the title to the Georgian-born fighter. In a video posted on his Snapchat handle and reposted by @ChampRDS on X, O'Malley stated he was "sad" about the UFC 306 results and said:
"Good morning, Snapchat fam. Woke up today, and I am still sad. Still a little bit sad. You know what? time heals... It's all about perspective. Life's still good. Definitely f***king stings."
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments after his loss below: