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After capturing bantamweight gold, Sean O’Malley has grow to be the primary goal within the division with quite a few contenders all wanting to get their palms on the champion.
Stylistically, it appeared ‘Sugar’ had the chances stacked towards him when he stepped into the octagon for his first shot at UFC gold. Aljamain Sterling had sat on the throne for 2 and a half years earlier than the matchup but it surely did not take lengthy for the challenger to impose his will and secure the upset knockout win.
O’Malley is now getting ready to make his first protection of the belt however that did not cease him from exchanging phrases with a special contender in his division. The transient social media altercation was arguably the fault of Islam Makhachev’s after the light-weight king insisted Umar Nurmagomedov would beat the champion.
Umar beats Suga
— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) December 24, 2023
This, after all, captured the eye of Sean O’Malley who insisted Umar could be straightforward work for him. The titleholder’s feedback did not sit nicely with the Russian who let his ideas be recognized.
pink head
To do that you must dare to battle with me. https://t.co/5by6MYRYdL— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) December 25, 2023
Confirmed for UFC 299, O’Malley can be placing his bantamweight crown on the road towards the only man to defeat him within the sport Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. Not solely is that this an enormous main-event matchup, however the two opponents have a real disdain for one another, which solely provides to the joy facet of the bout.
Regardless of their historical past, many consider the Ecuadorian does not should be given a shot on the champion. The knockout artist is 1-1 in his final two outings, together with his victory coming by unanimous determination towards the present #11-ranked 135er, Pedro Munhoz.
Related: Marlon Vera: ‘I’m going to beat the f**k out of Sean O’Malley’
How shut is Umar Nurmagomedov to a title battle towards Sean O’Malley?
Umar Nurmagomedov is among the fastest-rising stars within the sport and already has an enormous following as a result of his affiliation with Islam Makhachev and his relation to the retired Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The Dagestani finds himself sitting simply inside the highest 15 at bantamweight, so naturally, it may very well be a while earlier than a title shot comes his approach. Nonetheless, it appears the UFC is eager on fast-tracking the undefeated star.
Earlier this yr, Umar was scheduled to come back up towards the present #4-ranked Cory Sandhagen. Whereas injury forced him out of the battle, the prospect may have seen himself bounce up from barely ranked to a high 5 place. It is unclear at this stage who’s subsequent for the 27-year-old.
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