5 reasons why the UFC should book Henry Cejudo vs. Sean O'Malley

Following his unfortunate No Contest with Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276, bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley quickly went viral across the internet when a video of a backstage confrontation with former champ Henry Cejudo was released.

While some fans mocked the confrontation, it seems that Sean O’Malley and Henry Cejudo are serious about fighting one another – so should the UFC book this fight?

With the bantamweight division stacked full of talent right now, there are other options on the table for both men, but when it comes down to it, this fight might work the best for them.

Here are five reasons why Sean O’Malley and Henry Cejudo are the perfect opponents for one another.

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#5. Henry Cejudo and Sean O’Malley are capable of drumming up interest in a fight between them

Sean O'Malley talks as good a game as anyone in the UFC right now

The UFC’s bantamweight division is undoubtedly one of the most talent-packed in the promotion, and yet a lot of the time, it doesn’t receive the attention that it deserves. This is arguably because some of the best fighters at 135lbs don’t possess all that much charisma or ability on the microphone.

However, two fighters in the bantamweight division who do possess those skills are Henry Cejudo and Sean O’Malley. These two fighters couldn’t be less alike if they tried, as Cejudo has openly labeled himself the ‘King of Cringe’ and loves to spew cliche-filled insults towards his prospective foes, while O’Malley is more laid back, but still has the ability to draw the fans in.

One thing is for sure, though – they are both more than capable of drumming up interest in a fight, particularly against one another.

The fact that a short confrontation between them – which largely involved Cejudo yelling at a bemused O’Malley that he ought to “bend the knee” – went viral is proof of this, and since then, ‘Sugar’ has taken to Twitter to both call out and insult ‘Triple C’.

Essentially, if the UFC were to book this fight tomorrow, it’d instantly become one of 2022’s most highly anticipated bouts. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to make the fight and let the bad blood build from there.

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#4. Henry Cejudo would be just the step up in competition that Sean O’Malley needs

UFC fans have been calling for Sean O'Malley to make a step up in competition for some time

While Sean O’Malley has performed marvelously in his short UFC career, knocking out the likes of Thomas Almeida and Eddie Wineland in brutal fashion, the big knock on him has always been that he simply hasn’t faced top competition.

That was supposed to change when ‘Sugar’ fought Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276, but the fight was basically over before it truly began after the Brazilian took an errant eye poke. Essentially, then, O’Malley still hasn’t fought a top-level opponent.

Henry Cejudo, then, could be the top-level foe that ‘The Sugar Show’ needs right now. Sure, it’d be a huge step up for O’Malley to take, but strangely enough, beating Cejudo shouldn’t be considered a completely impossible task.

Not only has ‘Triple C’ been on the shelf for well over two years at this point, but he’s also a smaller 135lber, having competed for the majority of his UFC tenure as a flyweight. Against a lanky opponent like O’Malley, Cejudo would be giving up eight inches of reach, something he’d definitely have to make adjustments to deal with.

Sure, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist would be the favorite in this bout, but O’Malley would certainly be a live underdog, and if he could pull the win off, then nobody could possibly doubt ‘Sugar’ again.

With that in mind, a step up to fight a former champion like Cejudo could be the perfect next step for O’Malley.

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#3. Sean O’Malley would provide a beatable opponent for Henry Cejudo to return against

Henry Cejudo might need a tune-up fight in his return to the octagon

While Henry Cejudo would definitely provide Sean O’Malley with a step up in competition, it’s probably fair to say that on the flip side, ‘Triple C’ has fought plenty of opponents with more credibility than ‘Sugar’.

Over the course of his UFC career, Cejudo has gone toe-to-toe with some all-time greats in the form of Dominick Cruz, TJ Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson, and he’s also faced very dangerous foes such as Marlon Moraes and Joseph Benavidez.

O’Malley wouldn’t necessarily be a step down for him, but ‘Sugar’ would probably be a safer fight for Cejudo than say, Petr Yan or Aljamain Sterling would be right now.

However, that might be just what Cejudo needs. After all, ‘Triple C’ has not fought since his May 2020 win over Cruz, meaning that there’s every chance he comes into his first fight back with at least some ring rust.

Therefore, facing a slightly lower-level opponent – particularly one who would still draw plenty of eyeballs to the fight like O’Malley would – may make perfect sense for the 2008 Olympic gold medalist.

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#2. A fight between Henry Cejudo and Sean O’Malley would probably be fantastic to watch

Henry Cejudo vs. Sean O'Malley would be a great fight from a stylistic point of view

Naturally, while the UFC is all about booking fights that will draw money, the promotion is also big on putting together bouts that are likely to make for fireworks inside the octagon – and there’s no doubt that a clash between Henry Cejudo and Sean O’Malley would almost guarantee them.

Neither man has really been in a dull fight during their respective tenures with the UFC, and while neither has produced what you’d call an all-time classic bout, between them they’ve won a total of nine performance bonus awards.

More importantly, the style clash that this fight could produce would be absolutely fascinating to watch, with a number of questions worth asking going in.

Could O’Malley really deal with the world-class wrestling game that Cejudo brings to the octagon, and could he find a way to outlast ‘Triple C’ down the stretch – something that no fighter has ever really done before?

On the other hand, how would Cejudo deal with the length and reach of ‘Sugar’, who would enjoy an eight-inch reach and seven-inch height advantage over the former bantamweight champion? And could the Olympic gold medalist’s chin hold up to the power of O’Malley?

Overall, this would probably make for a truly crazy and also intriguing fight, meaning that the UFC should book it as soon as possible.

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#1. A fight between Henry Cejudo and Sean O’Malley could be big for the UFC

Sean O'Malley has quickly become a star of sorts with the UFC

Naturally, the number-one goal for the UFC is to put on fights that the fans will pay to see, thus making the promotion the largest amount of money possible. With that considered, would Henry Cejudo vs. Sean O’Malley class as a so-called “money fight”?

Admittedly, the bout wouldn’t be as big as something like Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier, but there’s definitely a chance that it could sell well in its own right. If nothing else, it’d almost certainly be the biggest bout of O’Malley’s career, and the biggest for Cejudo since his 2019 clash with TJ Dillashaw.

When you consider that O’Malley is already one of the UFC’s most popular up-and-comers despite him not really having proven all that much in the octagon, it’s clear that ‘Sugar’ has the kind of star qualities that could make him a drawing card at some point in the future.

Cejudo, meanwhile, may not have fought for two years, but if anything, his profile has risen during his time away due to the amount of trash he’s talked on social media. ‘Triple C’ is now one of the most talked-about fighters on the UFC roster.

Basically, putting these two men together in the octagon could definitely be a major drawing card for the UFC, particularly if they were to fight in the co-main event of a pay-per-view that lacked a huge star in the headline spot.

Given that this bout could be a big one for the promotion, then, there’s simply no reason why they shouldn’t put it together.