Thomas Almeida vs Sean O'Malley being targeted for UFC 260

The UFC 260 fight card has another banger of a fight in the works. UFC bantamweight 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley will be returning to the Octagon after his UFC 252 loss against Marlon 'Chito' Vera. Thomas Almeida is going to be the next opponent for O'Malley.

Sean O'Malley posted a video on his YouTube channel where he announced that his fight against Thomas 'Thominhas' Almeida is being targeted for UFC 260 on April 27. The fight card is going to be headlined by Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou and will feature Alexander Volkanovski vs Brian Ortega in the co-main event.

Thomas Almeida is on a three-fight losing streak. The 29-year-old bantamweight fought Jonathan Martinez in October last year after an almost two-year-long hiatus. Almeida lost via a unanimous decision.

Both O'Malley and Almeida have a striking oriented approach to their fights which makes this an interesting matchup. O'Malley will enjoy a two-inch reach advantage over Thomas Almeida.

Sean O’Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) returns to the Octagon at UFC 260 against Thomas Almeida (@ThomasalmeidaCB) 🔥 #UFC260 #MMA https://t.co/fpIxhRUrlC

— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) February 3, 2021

Why did Sean O'Malley lose at UFC 252?

2020 was certainly an interesting year for 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley. He defeated Jose Quinonez in the very first round in March. This victory paved his way for a fight against UFC veteran Eddie Wineland. In just 1:54 Sean O'Malley secured a highlight knockout win.

In August 2020 at UFC 252, Sugar suffered the first TKO loss of his professional career at UFC 252. Midway through the first round, O'Malley twisted his foot awkwardly which caused him excruciating pain. His opponent, Marlon Vera, capitalized on this opportunity and dropped Sean O'Malley down with a brutal shot. This was followed by an onslaught of strikes on the ground and the fight was eventually stopped.

It will be interesting to see how Sean O'Malley fares against Marlon Vera in a rematch. Also, O'Malley and former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt have been taking jabs at each other on social media. If Sugar is able to pick himself up and climb up the rankings, a matchup with Garbrandt can definitely be made in the future.

Love y’all ❤️🙌🏽

— Sean O'Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) August 16, 2020

However, a victory over Thomas Almeida will be the first chance for Sean O'Malley to revamp his career after his UFC 252 loss. This heartbreaking loss was certainly a roadblock in O'Malley's aspirations to become a champion but it will be interesting to see what the 'Sugar Show' has in store for fans next.