Sean O'Malley teases UFC return plans after title loss to Merab Dvalishvili: "I wanna be back ASAP"
Former UFC bantamweight champion, Sean O'Malley has shared a probable timeline for his UFC return after undergoing surgery.
Last month, O'Malley endured arguably one of the biggest setbacks of his professional MMA career. 'Suga' featured in a five-round main event against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. Dvalishvili controlled him for most of their fight, which helped him win unanimously.
Shortly after UFC 306, The American star announced he needed surgery for a torn labrum. The former bantamweight king recently posted a video on his YouTube channel and provided an update to the MMA community about his return:
"Got surgery Thursday. Today is Saturday, it's been f*cking two days. I feel f*cking great. I feel great. I'm gonna come back better than ever. I'll be back next week to sparring. No, I do think I am going to do everything right. I'm going to recover as fast as I possibly can, and I'm gonna get back. Everyone is like, 'Don't come back too soon.' I'm coming back the right amount of soon. I wanna be back ASAP.'
Sean O'Malley followed up by saying this about when he will probably fight again:
'I want to get these fights in while I'm still, you know, young enough. I turn 30 this month. I want to recover, do everything right, but I want to get back in there April, May, June latest. June will be latest.I think I can be back before that. March even would be crazy, but who knows?" [6:32-7:21]"
Watch Sean O'Malley discuss his surgery recovery starting at 6:32 below:
The aftermath of UFC 306: Landscape of Bantamweight division
Sean O'Malley has attempted to persuade fans he deserved the decision to win against Merab Dvalishvili. However, most fans aren't falling for his antics. Dvalishvili has also voiced his interest in an immediate rematch against O'Malley.
Dvalishvili's callout was slightly confusing, as number two-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov is viewed as more of a rational choice for the next title shot. Nurmagomedov made a massive statement in his last win against number four-ranked Cory Sandhagen, extending the undefeated Russian's UFC record to 6-0.
Therefore, Dvalishvili vs Nurmagomedov could be scheduled while O'Malley is recovering from his surgery. Meanwhile, number three-ranked Petr Yan and number five-ranked Deiveson Figueiredo will fight on November 23, with the winner strengthening their presence in the title picture.