Sean O’Malley was born and raised in Helena, Montana, dropping out of high school at 17 to focus on MMA.
Since arriving in the UFC in 2017, O’Malley has been one of the most-feared knockout artists in his division. The UFC bantamweight star is a sharp and lethal striker.
Outside of the octagon, some people consider O’Malley entertaining with a unique and flashy personality. Although he may not be everyone’s favorite, O’Malley’s flair attracts eyeballs, and his level of confidence makes his matchups intriguing. O’Malley has the potential to be a mainstay MMA star for years to come.
Who Will Sean O’Malley Fight Next?
The UFC announced in May that Sean O’Malley would face Aljamain Sterling for the UFC bantamweight championship on August 19, 2023, at UFC 292 in Boston, Massachusetts. It will be the UFC’s first trip to Boston since 2019.
Oddsmakers listed Sterling as a -255 moneyline favorite against O’Malley (+215). Just days before the bout, the gambling odds were relatively unchanged, with Sterling at -258 and O’Malley at +210 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Over/Under for number of rounds for Sterling vs. O’Malley is 3.5 (+110/-140)
How Sterling vs. O’Malley Happened
Sterling defended his UFC bantamweight title in 2023 with a hard-fought split decision win over Henry Cejudo at UFC 288. During the fight lead-up and the negotiations between both fighters, O’Malley shared that the promotion let him know his next fight would be for the title.
O’Malley was offered the opportunity to act as the fight’s backup in case of any injuries, but he declined because of the desire to have his first title tilt with a full training camp.
Immediately after Sterling’s win in Newark, New Jersey, O’Malley entered the octagon to square off with the champion. The two had their date and were booked to collide in the Bay State at UFC 292.
O’Malley was ranked No. 2 in the division after beating the former champion and previously ranked No. 1, Petr Yan. As close as the fight was, a win is a win, and there’s logic to O’Malley’s title shot after going unbeaten over his previous five bouts.
The bantamweight division got weird at its peak. Outside factors led to opportunities like O’Malley’s being much more of a guarantee; because purely based on merit, he should not be next. The top-ranked Merab Dvalishvili won nine straight fights in relatively dominant fashion and undeniably deserved his first title shot.
However, Dvalishvili and Sterling are teammates, vowing never to fight each other. As long as Sterling holds the belt, Dvalishvili will need to keep knocking off contenders in his uncrowned secondary champion-like role.
Sean O’Malley MMA Record
While no longer undefeated at 15-1 (1 NC), O’Malley is still perfect in his mind. Despite a loss in the UFC, O’Malley has claimed he’s undefeated. Some of his fans might even believe it.
“Suga” only needed a one-punch knockout in his Contender Series appearance to light the MMA world ablaze. One thumping punch landed on Alfred Khashakyan in July 2017 not only propelled his notoriety but the Contender Series as well. It didn’t hurt to have Snoop Dogg commentating the moment, either. The promotion will never let fans forget the rap legend’s screams of “O’Malley! O’Malley! O’Malley!”
O’Malley’s first two UFC wins weren’t as flashy as his previous two, handling the likes of veterans Terrion Ware and Andre Soukhamthath. Overcoming names like those at that stage was still a solid achievement for the rising “Suga,” but it didn’t compare to what followed.
Jose Quinonez welcomed O’Malley back to action two years after an injury suffered against Soukhamthath. Unfortunately for Quinonez, he got sliced through by a head kick and punch combination, reminding spectators what the rainbow-haired O’Malley could do. The finish earned O’Malley his first performance of the night bonus.
In the fight after Quinonez, O’Malley picked up another performance bonus with his greatest career highlight. Former WEC bantamweight champion and seasoned 39-fight veteran Eddie Wineland was tasked with halting the youngster’s momentum. Methodically sniping his shots, O’Malley ultimately found the kill shot just six seconds under the two-minute mark, stiffening Wineland with a cannon of a right hand.
Rarely has O’Malley gone the distance, winning 11 times by knockout and once by sub. In his lone loss after the Wineland win, O’Malley broke down from Marlon “Chito” Vera’s leg kicks and ground-and-pound, resulting in a first-round TKO. It was far from the end for O’Malley, who returned to earn another performance bonus, stopping a downed and dazed Thomas Almeida with a third-round bomb from standing to inside full guard.
Kris Moutinho and Raulian Paiva fell victim to vintage O’Malley performances leading up to the best and most important win on his resume over Yan. Becoming a bonus machine at bantamweight, O’Malley kept that trend going as he and the former title holder earned fight of the night honors.
While there were strong arguments that O’Malley didn’t deserve the nod, he passed a huge and needed test, showing he could hang against someone of “No Mercy’s” caliber. Regardless of any feelings on the result, O’Malley had some good moments of success and visibly damaged his Russian adversary.
Odds for Sean O’Malley to Win a Belt
Sitting at +450 UFC Futures odds to end 2023 as champion, O’Malley is worth consideration for a bet. However, stylistically, Sterling is a horrendous matchup for the talented striker.
O’Malley will have the advantage on the feet, at least with his boxing. Sterling has been knocked out before, and O’Malley’s power should be feared by all bantamweights. What makes the bet most interesting is that if O’Malley becomes champion, he might have to get through another opponent in 2023 for the bet to cash.
With Sterling vs. O’Malley booked for mid-August, there could be time to squeeze in another fight around December. Betting on O’Malley requires faith that he can beat Sterling, then most likely a Dvalishvili or maybe even Cejudo. On paper, all three are absolute nightmares for the Contender Series alum, so +450 odds might not be worth it.
In this case, the timing just makes it an even tougher prospect as opposed to the first title bout coming later in the year, where there’s more of a chance to only worry about that one fight.
Revisit O’Malley after a potential title win. But for now, avoid betting on him to enter 2024 as the UFC bantamweight champion.
