Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is tipping his hat to Umar Nurmagomedov for his no-nonsense attitude toward title shots. Despite being the number one contender, Umar isn’t interested in playing the waiting game while champion Merab Dvalishvili eyes a fight with Deiveson Figueiredo.
Instead of sitting on the sidelines, Umar has made it clear that he’s ready to face anyone in the division, earning O’Malley’s respect.
The former champ praised Umar’s mindset, saying it’s refreshing to see a fighter willing to take on all comers rather than waiting for a guaranteed title shot.
In a sport where timing and patience are key, Umar’s approach is a breath of fresh air. In the most recent episode of his podcast with coach Tim Welch, O’Malley shared his thoughts on Umar’s mindset and also suggested a few matchups for the bantamweight contender.
“Umar said he does not want to wait for Merab to fight next year. He said he will fight whoever next. That is pretty interesting. I mean when you’re that skilled and you believe in your skills…Umar vs Petr, Umar vs Figgy would be sick. There is a lot of sick fights in that division.”
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Earlier, speaking to Gorilla Energy, Umar had made it clear he just wants to fight—no matter who’s across the cage. “I don’t want to wait until next year. I’ll fight anyone, even if it’s King Kong—just make weight!” Umar said, re-iterating his legendary cousin’s words.
Despite his top contender status, he’s willing to risk it all to stay active and pursue his goal of becoming the greatest.
The champion on the other hand will take some time off after a fight he felt he won upon watching it again. Despite the obvious contradicting deduction here, former middleweight contender Chael Sonnen believes that ‘Suga’ actually deserves a rematch!
Chael Sonnen joins O’Malley in his claims
Sean O’Malley admitted he “over-promised” and “under-delivered” in his UFC 306 loss to Merab Dvalishvili, but Sonnen thinks “Suga” deserves a rematch.
On his YouTube channel, Sonnen pointed out that most champions, like Conor McGregor and Israel Adesanya, get immediate rematches after losing their belts. “All the greats except Sean,” he said, questioning why O’Malley wasn’t given the same opportunity.
With Merab now potentially facing Umar Nurmagomedov or Deiveson Figueiredo, Sonnen argued that a rematch should have been the first option due to the controversial nature of the fight.
“Watch rounds one, three, and five without commentary and tell me you don’t see controversy,” he added, suggesting the outcome wasn’t as clear-cut as it seemed.
Now, O’Malley might yet have his rematch but the fact remains that he’s got a hip surgery scheduled next month and is going to be out of action for at least half the year.
