Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) will undergo hip surgery early next month.
Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto the surgery will rule him out for “anywhere from six months to one year.” The 29-year-old suffered a torn labrum in his hip 10 weeks ago, but went through training for his second defense title against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 on Saturday in Las Vegas, where he lost to Dvalishvili via unanimous decision. O’Malley loss snapped a seven-fight unbeaten streak, and was also his second career defeat.
O’Malley revealed the news in an interview with online streamer Adin Ross following his championship loss at UFC 306. O’Malley said (per MMC Uncensored): “I have surgery on Oct. 3. I tore my left labrum in my hip. That’s the only reason I’m going to be out for so long. This surgery should only take two months to come back from, then a couple of months recovery, so a year is a long time. It could be six to eight months. But you never know. … UFC won’t be the same without me.”
In his podcast with head coach Tim Welsh, O’Malley stated that the injury had nothing to do with his loss to Dvalishvili: “Best weight cut, felt good, no excuses. My mom, she’s like, ‘You just weren’t the same, what was wrong?’ Nothing. I just got beat. Everyone keeps asking me, ‘Something seemed off.’ No excuses.”
Dvalishvili will likely face undefeated challenger Umar Nurmagomedov in his first title defense, however Dvalishvili said he would prefer a fight against former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo.
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