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'Sugar' Sean O'Malley appears to have continued his war of words against Islam Makhachev. O'Malley has now put forth a social media post, wherein he's jibed at the physical appearance of Makhachev's training partner and friend, Umar Nurmagomedov.
Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley is scheduled to defend his title in a rematch against Marlon 'Chito' Vera at UFC 299 on March 9, 2024. As for UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and the No. 14-ranked UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov, their respective next matchups haven't been officially announced yet.
With UFC 300 set to transpire on April 13, 2024, the MMA community has lately been rife with speculations regarding possible super fights that could take place at the landmark event. One such rumored super fight is a potential welterweight clash between UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards and UFC lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev.
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American MMA star Sean O'Malley chimed in with his take on the same and suggested that Edwards would defeat Makhachev. O'Malley tweeted:
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"Leon Beats Islam"
Within a few hours of the aforementioned tweet, Makhachev took to X and asserted that Umar Nurmagomedov would beat 'Sugar.' The Dagestani MMA fighter tweeted:
"Umar beats Suga"
Not one to be outdone, O'Malley replied to Makhachev's tweet by mocking Nurmagomedov's appearance. Jesting about his bantamweight rival's eyebrows, 'Sugar' tweeted:
"I’ll beat the unibrow off Umnar"
Umar Nurmagomedov recently dismissed 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley as a threat in his quest for UFC gold
The 27-year-old undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov trains alongside the likes of UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) gym in the US and at Eagles MMA in Russia.
Umar Nurmagomedov also happens to be the older brother of Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov and the younger cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Considering the variables at play, many have touted Umar Nurmagomedov as a future UFC champion. During the UFC's 30th-anniversary Q&A media scrum in October 2023, Nurmagomedov shed light on his title ambitions and seemingly dismissed the reigning UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley as a threat. 'Young Eagle' said:
"I think I can strike with him, fight how ever I want. I think I will choose how to finish him... Take him down, choke, or submit, maul him there."
In August 2023, Sean O'Malley thoroughly out-struck and defeated longtime champion Aljamain Sterling via second-round TKO to win the bantamweight belt.
In regard to who's the tougher matchup, Nurmagomedov highlighted that Sterling is a dangerous grappler, whereas O'Malley is a good striker. Regardless, he believes neither of them would be able to cause him any trouble in a fight.
Check out Nurmagomedov's assessment below:
