Sean O'Malley may be ready for his title shot, but he isn't sold on serving as the backup fighter for the bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo at UFC 288. While the 28-year-old American did not entirely rule out the possibility, he recently expressed reservations about accepting the role.
With a controversial win over former bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280, 'Sugar' now occupies the No.1 spot in the division's rankings and is looking for a shot at the title. However, with 'Triple C' highly touted to return to action in a title fight against 'Funk Master,' it seems O'Malley might have to wait longer to get his wish.
Alternatively, Sean O'Malley could serve as the backup fighter for the title fight.
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However, the No.1-ranked bantamweight is not entirely convinced that it would be a good idea, and on a recent episode of the BrOMalley Show on YouTube, 'Sugar' outlined why he is hesitant to take on the role of a backup fighter:
"Do I want to be a backup fighter? I could technically be if i wanted to be for this amount of money... But It's just like weight cuts are hard dude... I might just do a full fight camp, pretty much spar, diet, get to fight week and then decide."
Watch the full episode below:
Sean O'Malley Next Fight: Daniel Cormier weighs in on 'Sugar's future in the UFC
Daniel Cormier does not see Sean O'Malley becoming the bantamweight champion in the near future.
Since his debut in 2017, O'Malley has built himself quite the resume. With an unexpected win over Petr Yan, his unique sense of fashion, and his very likable personality, the 28-year-old American has undoubtedly become one of the UFC's major crowd-pullers. However, 'DC' doesn't count 'Sugar' as a candidate for the bantamweight crown.
In an episode of the 'DC & RC' show, Cormier shared his thoughts on Sean O'Malley possibly becoming the bantamweight champion in his next three fights. While the former two-division champion did not rule out 'Sugar' holding the title, Cormier stated:
"It's just very fast. Three more fights is not that long to elevate yourself to a championship. Now, he's No.1, I get it. That's why we imagine it could happen but he's No.1 because he beat Petr Yan... and many thought he lost the Yan fight... But I will not be surprised if somewhere down the line, Sean O'Malley does become a UFC champion."
Watch the full episode below: