Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley wants to fight Jose Aldo.
'Sugar' is fresh off his return to the cage at the Las Vegas Sphere last month. Back for the first time since a unanimous decision victory over Marlon Vera in April, Sean O'Malley faced Merab Dvalishvili. The two headlined the massive Noche UFC card, in what was supposed to be another star-making performance for the champion.
Instead, 'The Machine' flipped the script on Sean O'Malley. Merab Dvalishvili took down the champion early and often, ultimately earning a unanimous decision victory. Following the defeat, 'Sugar' called for an instant rematch. However, with Dvalishvili now set to face Umar Nurmagomedov in 2025, that rematch doesn't seem likely.
If Sean O'Malley can't fight for UFC gold next, he's down with facing a legend instead. Speaking in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, 'Sugar' was asked about a future fight with Jose Aldo. For his part, the Brazilian is fresh off a controversial unanimous decision loss to Mario Bautista earlier this month at UFC 307.
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In the interview, Sean O'Malley showed interest in facing Jose Aldo next. While he's unsure when he will compete next, the former champion believes a fight against the legend would be "crazy". With no guarantee of a UFC title shot next, 'Sugar' just wants to make the biggest fights possible.
"100%, that would be f*cking crazy. Jose Aldo is a legend." Sean O'Malley stated to Ariel Helwani, when asked about a fight with the Brazilian. "Yeah, that's definitely a possibility. I like having options, I don't know if the Merab fight is going to happen. But I'm pushing for it, just putting that out in the universe, hoping that happens. But, you know, I'm here for big fights and I want people to be entertained."
He continued, "I want people to have that feeling of a big fight around the corner... That's the type of fights I want to put on and give to the people. So yeah, that's a possibility."