Sean O’Malley News

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 25, 2026

Sean O’Malley is hoping to get a second dance with Petr Yan, this time for UFC gold. O’Malley is one step closer to returning to title contention after defeating Song Yadong on the UFC 324 card. The “Suga” show earned a unanimous decision win to snap a two-fight skid. It’s O’Malley’s first victory since March 2024.

Chris Taylor - January 24, 2026

Tonight’s UFC 324 event was co-headlined by a key men’s bantamweight matchup between Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong. O’Malley (19-3 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since UFC 316, where he suffered a submission loss to Merab Dvalishvili. That setback marked Sean’s second defeat in a row, as he was previously dethroned by ‘The Machine’ at UFC 306 in September of 2024.

Chris Taylor - January 24, 2026

We have you covered for all of tonight’s UFC 324 results, including the co-main event between Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong. O’Malley (19-3 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since UFC 316, where he suffered a submission loss to Merab Dvalishvili. That setback marked Sean’s second defeat in a row, as he was previously dethroned by ‘The Machine’ at UFC 306 in September of 2024. ‘Suga’ registered his most recent win back in March of 2024, where he defeated Marlon Vera by unanimous decision.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 22, 2026

Top bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov has his pick for a pivotal UFC 324 clash. The UFC’s debut on Paramount+ this Saturday will feature a 135-pound clash between former titleholder Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong. There is some heat going into the bout, as Yadong has taken exception to O’Malley’s antics involving a controversial mask joke.

Curtis Calhoun - January 21, 2026

UFC 324 co-headliner Sean O’Malley admits that one of his early fighting career predictions was a delusional pursuit. Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is set to return to the Octagon in the UFC 324 co-main event this Saturday in Las Vegas. O’Malley and dangerous striker Song Yadong will square off with a potential bantamweight title shot on the line this weekend.

Dylan Bowker - January 20, 2026

Sean O’Malley is on the comeback trail this weekend, but he sees this next opportunity as a chance to vault himself toward previously unseen heights. The former UFC bantamweight champion will clash with the number five-ranked contender at 135 pounds, Song Yadong, in the amended co-main event of UFC 324. Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes was initially set for the card’s penultimate fight of the night but after news of Harrison’s injury broke, O’Malley vs. Yadong is now the co-main event for UFC’s kickoff card of 2026. For some who has captured and defended UFC gold, the idea of what the next goal is can be a bit vague for some, but that is not the case for O’Malley. During the first episode of the embedded series leading into UFC 324, with an excerpt posted to X account @RedCorner_MMA, O’Malley said,

Cole Shelton - January 20, 2026

In the co-main event of UFC 324, an intriguing bantamweight bout goes down as Sean O’Malley takes on Song Yadong. Heading into the fight, O’Malley is a -205 favorite while Yadong is a +170 underdog. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get the predictions for the bantamweight fight at UFC 324. The pros slightly lean towards O’Malley edging out a win to get back on track and prove he’s still a title contender at bantamweight.

Dylan Bowker - January 16, 2026

Sean O’Malley is a big figure in the bantamweight division as the former 135-pound kingpin embarks on a key fight in terms of informing his trajectory in the weight class, and a newly minted Rizin champion has weighed in. Ilkhom Nozimov is the RFF champ in question and actually replicated O’Malley’s style for Petr Yan during training sessions at Tiger Muay Thai ahead of the O’Malley vs. Yan clash from years back. As someone who is quite familiar with ‘Suga’s style and when asked for his thoughts on O’Malley’s looming bout with Song Yadong at UFC 324 on January 24th, Nozimov said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Cole Shelton - January 7, 2026

Tim Welch, the head coach of Sean O’Malley, has an intriguing prediction for ‘Suga’s’ UFC 324 fight. O’Malley is set to return to the Octagon at UFC 324 on January 24 against Song Yadong in an intriguing fight. Heading into the bout, O’Malley is a -215 favorite while Yadong is a +164 underdog on FanDuel.

Dylan Bowker - January 5, 2026

Sean O’Malley is eyeing a massive run this calendar year, but also mentioned that 2o26 may be the last time we see the colourful MMA star. The former UFC bantamweight champion is working toward another chance to become kingpin of 135 pounds, with his potential path back to gold going through Song Yadong at UFC 324 in the coming weeks. His focus extends beyond Yadong on the 24th though, and ‘Suga’ has a prominent former opponent in his crosshairs for a subsequent octagon clash later on this year. The former UFC titleholder prefaced his claims by touting Yadong as dangerous and saying he wasn’t overlooking the surging contender but rather that he was concurrently preparing for Yadong as well as former foe/ current champ, Petr Yan.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 29, 2025

Song Yadong has made a significant adjustment that he believes will pay dividends when he faces Sean O’Malley. Yadong and O’Malley have been booked for a UFC 324 showdown on Jan. 24. The bout will be a part of UFC’s first event under the Paramount+ streaming deal. The card is being headlined by an interim lightweight title fight between Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje.

Harry Kettle - December 23, 2025

Sean O’Malley called Jake Paul “inspiring” in the wake of his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua last week. On Friday night, Jake Paul fell short in his attempt to shock the world. He went head to head with Anthony Joshua in a sanctioned heavyweight boxing match, and while he was able to avoid the big shot for long spells, he ultimately fell to a sixth round knockout defeat at the hands of the former world champion.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 7, 2025

Sean O’Malley reacted to Petr Yan’s stellar performance against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323. Yan challenged Dvalishvili for the UFC Bantamweight Championship this past Saturday in Las Vegas. It was a chance for Yan to not only reclaim the 135-pound gold, but to also get some revenge after being defeated by “The Machine” back in 2023. Mission accomplished for Yan, who earned the unanimous decision victory to close out his 2025.

Curtis Calhoun - December 2, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili’s two-time rival, Sean O’Malley, believes we could see a massive upset in the UFC 323 main event this weekend. UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will fight in his fourth title defense of 2025 against Petr Yan this Saturday at UFC 323. It’s a rematch of Dvalishvili’s record-setting performance against Yan in 2023, featuring a record number of takedown attempts and successful takedowns.

Curtis Calhoun - December 2, 2025

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley questions whether or not Dana White is still as excited as ever about promoting fights. UFC CEO Dana White’s recent announcements for the first two major events of 2026, UFC 324 and UFC 325, have received mixed reactions from fans and pundits.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 2, 2025

Sean O’Malley isn’t afraid to poke fun at himself ahead of his UFC 324 clash with Song Yadong. The “Suga” show hasn’t had the best of luck inside the Octagon as of late. He dropped two straight bouts to the current UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley was submitted in his most recent outing against “The Machine.”

Harry Kettle - November 18, 2025

UFC star Sean O’Malley has explained why he feels bad for Jack Della Maddalena in the wake of his UFC 322 defeat. On Saturday night, Jack Della Maddalena was unable to keep hold of his UFC welterweight championship. He was beaten pretty comprehensively by Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 322, with Islam becoming a two-weight world champion as a result of his victory.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 17, 2025

Sean O’Malley feels Islam Makhachev can defeat most UFC middleweights, but could he beat the reigning champion? Makhachev further cemented his legacy this past Saturday night in New York City. He moved up in weight to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight gold in the UFC 322 headliner. Makhachev’s grappling once again earned him UFC gold, securing a clear unanimous decision victory.