When Dana White crowned Sean O'Malley the 'biggest bantamweight star ever' after UFC masterclass
Dana White once labeled Sean O'Malley as "the biggest star ever in bantamweight history."
In March 2024, O'Malley secured a significant win for his legacy at UFC 299, a unanimous decision against Marlon 'Chito' Vera to defend his bantamweight title for the first time.
O'Malley's first loss under the UFC banner was a first-round knockout against Vera in August 2020, making his revenge-fulfilling rematch an important milestone.
Following O'Malley's dominant win, Dana White sat down for the UFC 299 post-event interview and had this to say about 'Sugar':
"He's on his way [to becoming one of the biggest stars we've ever seen]. He's the biggest star ever in bantamweight history. We can say that right now."
Sean O'Malley failed to defend his bantamweight title for a second time, suffering a unanimous decision defeat against Merab Dvalishvili in the Noche UFC main event in September 2024.
O'Malley has since recovered from a torn labrum in his hip and eliminated social media distractions to prepare for a rematch with Dvalishvili.
Check out Dana White's comments below (1:55):
Sean O'Malley is "very confident" he can knock out Merab Dvalishvili in upcoming rematch
On June 7, Merab Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight title in a rematch against Sean O'Malley in the UFC 316 main event.
The upcoming pay-per-view event goes down inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
O'Malley recently appeared on 'The Jim Rome Show' and had this to say about his highly anticipated rematch:
''I gotta win the first three rounds and I gotta win the last two rounds. I gotta break 'The Machine' and I gotta beat him, win the positions, and I know I could beat Merab. He is open to getting knocked out. I am very confident that I can put his lights out. I am also confident that I can beat him in a five-round fight.''
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments about Dvalishvili below:
Following his win against Sean O'Malley, Merab Dvalishvili defended his throne for the first time against Umar Nurmagomedov in January.