Athletes
Where We Stand: Bantamweight Division | March 2024
Sean O'Malley Exacted Revenge On His Way To His First Title Defense, But "Suga" Likely Has A Relentless Machine In His Sights Next
Whether you subscribe to the theory that “a champion must defend before really becoming the champion” or not, “Suga” Sean O’Malley passed his first title defense test with fluorescent colors. The technicolor striker made mincemeat of the lone man to hand him a loss in the Octagon and maintained his spot atop the deepest division on the roster. While a clear No. 1 contender exists, a handful of hopefuls are right on the cusp of getting their shot at gold, as well.
This is where we stand in the bantamweight division:
Champion: Sean O’Malley
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Win vs Marlon Vera (3/9/2024)
Next fight: N/A
Sean O’Malley Post Fight Interview | UFC 299
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Sean O’Malley Post Fight Interview | UFC 299
/
Outlook: O’Malley looked as sharp as ever as he picked and prodded and thudded his way to his first title defense. Going the full 25 minutes for the first time in his career, O’Malley kept his usual high pace of strikes while managing danger against Vera, and he has a couple options moving forward. He called for a champ-vs-champ fight against Ilia Topuria, but with so many contenders in their respective divisions, that might not happen right away. Merab Dvalishvili has more than earned his opportunity to challenge for gold, and O’Malley remained open to that challenge.
1) Merab Dvalishvili
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Win vs Henry Cejudo (2/17/2024)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: Compiling a 10-fight win streak over the course of six years landed Dvalishvili on the precipice of a UFC title shot. “The Machine” picked up his third consecutive win over a former champion when he dispatched Henry Cejudo via decision, leaving little to no doubt about who should challenge O’Malley next. He projects as a nightmare matchup for the striking inclined “Suga,” and he has aspirations to become Georgia’s first UFC champion.
2) Aljamain Sterling
Last Fight: TKO Loss vs Sean O’Malley (8/19/2023)
Next fight: vs Calvin Kattar (4/13/2024)
Outlook: The most accomplished bantamweight champion in the promotion’s history is making the move up to featherweight at UFC 300, and it’s unlikely that Sterling will make the cut back down to 135 pounds in the near future. After collecting the most title defenses in the division’s history, “Funk Master” is now on his chase for a second belt.
3) Cory Sandhagen
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Win vs Rob Font (8/5/2023)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: Despite consecutive wins over Song Yadong, Vera and Rob Font, Sandhagen saw his championship momentum slowed when he injured a torn tricep that knocked him out of action for the rest of 2023. Sandhagen was one of few who called out Dvalishvili and also accepted a fight against Umar Nurmagomedov before an injury to the latter scrapped the bout. His “anyone, any time” mindset about maintaining his position in the Top 5 is risky, but it has worked so far. A potential rebooking against Nurmagomedov could be his path to that second crack at UFC gold.
4) Petr Yan
Last Fight: Unanimous Decision Loss vs Merab Dvalishvili (3/11/2023)
Next fight: N/A
Outlook: Despite consecutive wins over Song Yadong, Vera and Rob Font, Sandhagen saw his championship momentum slowed when he injured a torn tricep that knocked him out of action for the rest of 2023. Sandhagen was one of few who called out Dvalishvili and also accepted a fight against Umar Nurmagomedov before an injury to the latter scrapped the bout. His “anyone, any time” mindset about maintaining his position in the Top 5 is risky, but it has worked so far. A potential rebooking against Nurmagomedov could be his path to that second crack at UFC gold.
5) Marlon Vera
Outlook: “Chito” couldn’t ever find the right shot against O’Malley until it was too little, too late, but the 31-year-old Ecuadorian could very well climb back to the same position with a few wins. Fights against Yan, a rematch with Song, or even Nurmagomedov, all make sense for Vera, who was the talk of the town in Miami despite falling short.
In the Mix: Deiveson Figueiredo, Yadong Song, Umar Nurmagomedov
Outlook:
Although Song fell short in his bid for a Top 5 ranking, he had Yan in trouble numerous times and remains one of the most explosive and dynamic bantamweights on the roster. The 26-year-old from China might need to duke it out with someone outside the Top 5 before getting another chance to climb upward.
Two fighters primed to make a leap up the rankings are Figueiredo and Nurmagomedov. Figueiredo looked sharp in his divisional debut against Font and has a former champion in front of him in Garbrandt, who quietly strung two solid wins together over Trevin Jones and Brian Kelleher in 2023. A win for either man—but more so Figueiredo— could launch them into a high-profile matchup afterward. Nurmagomedov is in search of a signature win, but even more so, he’s in search of an elite bantamweight who will give him the chance to secure that win. The undefeated cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov picked up a solid win over debutant Bekzat Almakhan in early-March, his first fight since January 2023, and he reiterated his desire to fight Sandhagen.
Tags
