Manager Calls O’Malley a Top UFC Bantamweight Draw
Ali Abdelaziz said Sean O’Malley’s popularity could keep him in the title mix after UFC 306. O’Malley then won twice in 2026, per the UFC.
Abdelaziz’s prediction
Speaking to Yahoo Sports in September 2024, Abdelaziz predicted Nurmagomedov would become champion and offer O’Malley a title fight on his return. He said O’Malley’s drawing power made the matchup attractive. That was Abdelaziz’s forecast and business argument, not an announced UFC booking.
How the division unfolded
Nurmagomedov challenged Dvalishvili at UFC 311 in January 2025 and lost by unanimous decision. Dvalishvili then defended his belt against O’Malley at UFC 316 and Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, before Petr Yan took the title from him at UFC 323. The UFC’s official record for Dvalishvili lists the sequence, and the UFC 323 scorecards record Yan’s win.
O’Malley returned in January 2026 and defeated Song Yadong by unanimous decision at UFC 324, as Song’s UFC record shows. In June, he knocked out Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Freedom 250, according to the official scorecards. Those two wins pushed him back into the title conversation; Abdelaziz’s original remarks remain a prediction, not a confirmed booking.
Sources
Tags: MMA
