Sean O’Malley will make his long awaited return to the octagon.
O’Malley (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) will take on Jose Quinonez (8-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at UFC 247 in Houston on Feb. 8. MMA Junkie verified the matchup after O’Malley posted the news on Instagram.
O’Malley will return after a layoff of nearly two years due to a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspension. He received a six-month suspension in October 2018 for testing positive for traces of ostarine found in his system, forcing him to withdraw from his UFC 229 scheduled bout vs. Quinonez. It was revealed that the traces of ostarine came from contaminated supplements, thus allowing O’Malley to return to action.
But after being booked to face Marlon Vera at UFC 239 in July, O’Malley tested positive for ostarine once again, stemming from a May 25 urine sample that was conducted by USADA, forcing him to sit on the sidelines even longer.
Finally cleared to return, O’Malley’s UFC 229 bout with Quinonez has been rescheduled for UFC 247, as he looks to remain unbeaten and continue his rise in the bantamweight division.
Quinonez saw his four-fight win streak snapped in a second round submission loss to Nathaniel Wood in March, but was able to rebound with a unanimous decision over Carlos Huachin September in Mexico City. He has won five of his last six bouts.
With the addition, the UFC 247 lineup includes:
- Champ Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes – for light heavyweight title
- Champ Valentina Shevchenko vs. Katlyn Chookagian – for women’s flyweight title
- Ilir Latifi vs. Derrick Lewis
- Mirsad Bektic vs. Dan Ige
- Andrea Lee vs. Lauren Murphy
- Juan Adams vs. Justin Tafa
- Dhiego Lima vs. Alex Morono
- Jimmie Rivera vs. Marlon Vera
- Mario Bautista vs. Miles Johns
- Antonio Arroyo vs. Trevin Giles
- Sean O’Malley vs. Jose Quinonez
Sean O'Malley returns, bout with Jose Quinonez rescheduled for UFC 247
