The bad news continues to pile up for Sean O’Malley. Shortly after news that he was suffering from an injury heading into his title bout at UFC 306 surfaced, it has now been confirmed that ‘Suga’ will require surgery.
O’Malley was at the heart of the bantamweight division’s rise to becoming one of the most exciting weight classes in the sport. Now, the fan-favorite must fight his way back to the top after losing his belt this past weekend.
Taking nothing away from Merab Dvalishvili’s eye-catching performance, many suspected something was wrong as Sean O’Malley didn’t look his usual self in the cage.
Those rumors have only elevated now it has been confirmed that the Arizona native was nursing an injury throughout his entire UFC 306 fight camp.
According to reports, Sean O’Malley will go under the knife in October after suffering a torn labrum in his hip.
This will likely keep the former champion out for several months, putting an end to any hopes of a quick turnaround in late 2024 or early 2025.
O’Malley headed for surgery first week of October. He suffered a torn labrum in his hip at the beginning of this last fight camp. https://t.co/EizhKTyXSd
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 17, 2024
While many expected a much closer matchup, Merab Dvalishvili did what he does best.
A complete dominant showing over the 25-minute affair saw the Georgian capture UFC gold at the first time of asking.
Related: Merab Dvalishvili torches ‘disrespectful’ Sean O’Malley coach after UFC 306
What was wrong with Sean O’Malley at UFC 306?
As previously mentioned, fans believe Sean O’Malley wasn’t his usual self at UFC 306, so what went wrong?
Despite arguably looking the worst he ever has inside the octagon, Sean O’Malley insisted that everything went according to plan in the build-up to the historic night at the Las Vegas Sphere.
Aside from his injury revelation, the 29-year-old claimed that he felt great heading into the bout and didn’t have any surprise weight cutting issues.
O’Malley will now watch from the sidelines as he recovers from his forthcoming surgery in October.
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/sean-omalley-requires-surgery-following-title-defeat
