Sean O'Malley claims he has been promised a title shot next

Sean O'Malley has been sitting on the sidelines waiting for his shot at UFC gold. Although Aljamain Sterling is defending his title against Henry Cejudo next, the fan-favorite bantamweight believes he will be next in line.

'Aljo' has shed some doubt about his future in the division after hinting at a potential move up to 145, freeing up space for his friend and training partner Merab Dvalishvili to become a UFC champion. Considering the fact that it's unclear on the timeline for his move up in weight, a fight with 'Sugar' could still materialize.

While discussing his future in a recent YouTube video, Sean O'Malley claimed that the UFC has promised him he's next up for a shot at the 135lb throne regardless of who wins between Sterling and Cejudo.

"I'll probably fight twice this year, depending on how fights go, how fights play out. My next fight will be f***ing huge, guaranteed. The winner of Henry and Aljo, [I] talked to the UFC, that's happening. It's official, the winner of that fight, I will fight the winner. It's gonna be huge."

O'Malley earned his way into title contention with a razor-close decision victory over former champion Petr Yan. The fight lived up to all expectations as the pair slugged it out for three rounds in a must-watch clash for any fight fan.

In 10 fights inside the octagon, the 28-year-old lost just once, with that sole defeat coming under controversial circumstances. Aside from the loss and a no-contest against Pedro Munhoz, the rising star has been a revelation inside the cage, collecting seven UFC bonuses in his six-year career in the promotion.

Check out what Sean O'Malley had to say regarding his next fight in the video below.

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Sean O'Malley's next fight: When will 'Sugar' return to action?

While the timeline for his return is unknown at present, fans can realistically expect a late 2023 bout announcement from Sean O'Malley if he is in fact being given a title shot next.

Current bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling is scheduled to defend his strap against the well-versed Henry Cejudo in the headliner of the stacked UFC 288 card on May 6.

Depending on how the matchup plays out, this will give the winner a large enough window of recovery before they potentially welcome new challenger O'Malley for his first-ever shot at a UFC championship.