O’Malley’s Octagon Return Pushed Back To UFC 248

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Rising UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley will now have to wait even longer for his awaited Octagon return.

According to a recent report by MMA Junkie, O’Malley’s upcoming matchup with Jose Quinonez set for UFC 247 this February in Texas has been moved to UFC 248 this March in Las Vegas. It’s a slight move, but one that pushes O’Malley’s return back even further.

Remember, O’Malley was suspended for six months in late-2018 after testing positive for Ostarine. After successfully living out his suspension, “Sugar” was then booked to face Marlon Vera at UFC 239 before failing another United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) test for more Ostarine. Luckily, O’Malley was cleared of that failed drug test and given the green light to return to action.

Now, through all of his failed drug tests and rescheduled fights, O’Malley will be making his return to the Octagon at UFC 248 on Mar. 7 in Las Vegas, which will be an event headlined by a women’s strawweight title fight between current champion Weili Zhang and former divisional queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The reason for moving O’Malley’s matchup with Quinonez is unknown at this time, but it’s likely that UFC wanted to pad the Vegas card with a little more fire power.

O’Malley, 25, burst onto the UFC scene back in 2017 after a successful stint on “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.” The marijuana advocate quickly caught on with fight fans everywhere by winning his first two Octagon appearances over Terrion Ware and Andre Soukhamthath to push his undefeated professional record to 10-0. While “Sugar” has struggled to get back into the cage since then he still remains one of the most promising young names in the sport entering 2020.

For complete UFC 248 fight card news click HERE.