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Sean O'Malley is awaiting his first title defense since capturing the UFC bantamweight championship in a massive upset at UFC 292. He dethroned all-time great 135-pounder Aljamain Sterling to claim divisional supremacy. Since the loss, Sterling has campaigned for an immediate rematch.
Unfortunately, for 'Funk Master,' Sean O'Malley has had his eyes set on a different rematch. He has challenged Marlon 'Chito' Vera to a rematch of their UFC 252 bout, which led to 'Sugar' suffering his first-ever career loss. However, O'Malley maintains that the loss was a fluke, and he aims to prove it in a rematch.
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Despite mutual interest in a rematch from Vera, O'Malley hasn't been scheduled to face him yet. So when a recent report emerged that a matchup between the two was being targeted for UFC 297 early next year, Sean O'Malley took to X/Twitter to put ice on those rumors by simply saying:
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"Fake news"
He remains without a fight, but not without prospective challengers. Besides Aljamain Sterling and Marlon Vera, others have called for a title fight with him. Former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo has demanded 'Sugar' to accept a title fight, despite the fact that he's coming off a title loss with no wins.
Meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili has claimed that if his close friend Aljamain Sterling isn't given an immediate rematch, then he should be next in line to face O'Malley. However, the mutual refusal to fight each other between Dvalishvili and Sterling has drawn the ire of UFC CEO Dana White.
Thus, it is unlikely that either man will be given a crack at the bantamweight title, least of all due to Sterling's frosty relationship with White.
How many current top 10 fighters has Sean O'Malley beaten?
Part of the criticism behind Sean O'Malley's rise to the top was that he didn't face enough top fighters during his climb to championship status. Of the current bantamweight top 10, 'Sugar' has faced Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan, Marlon Vera, and Pedro Munhoz. Unfortunately, his record against them isn't spotless.
He has knocked out Sterling, beaten Yan by a split decision, lost to Vera via TKO, and got a no-contest against Munhoz after unintentionally poking him in the eye, causing a corneal abrasion. Despite the no-contest, O'Malley curiously regards the outcome as a win.
