White Updates O’Malley’s Return Plans
Dana White said Sean O’Malley could possibly fight the winner of the January 2025 bantamweight title bout, a conditional possibility rather than a confirmed booking.
In a January 15 interview with Jim Rome, White said O’Malley would be watching Merab Dvalishvili face Umar Nurmagomedov and “could possibly fight the winner.” The remark left the matchup open; White did not say O’Malley would face an opponent outside the title picture. O’Malley had also said he wanted the winner and preferred a rematch with Dvalishvili. White’s comment, reported from the Jim Rome interview.
Dvalishvili kept his bantamweight title, defeating Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision on January 18, 2025. The official event results list scores of 48–47, 48–47 and 49–46.
O’Malley later received a rematch with Dvalishvili on June 7, 2025. Dvalishvili retained the title by submitting him with a ninja choke at 4:42 of the third round. The official results record the finish.
O’Malley defeated Song Yadong by unanimous decision on January 24, 2026, with all three judges scoring it 29–28. He then knocked out Aiemann Zahabi at 4:02 of round two on June 14, 2026. The event’s official results document his latest completed bout.
Sources
Tags: MMA
