Sean O’Malley makes his return to the cage at UFC 260 against Thomas Almeida

A bantamweight bout between Sean O’Malley and Thomas Almeida is the latest addition to the upcoming UFC 260 pay-per-view in March.

UFC 260 takes place on March 27 and is headlined by a heavyweight title fight rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. Also on the card is a co-main event featherweight title fight between champion Alexander Volkanvoski and challenger Brian Ortega. O’Malley vs. Almeida could open up the main card or it could be placed on the prelims for this event. Regardless of where it lands on the card, this is a very fun fight that is likely going to be a stand-up war based on their styles.

O’Malley himself announced the fight on his YouTube (h/t Marcell Dorff). O’Malley vs. Almeida is a fight the UFC has tried to book for several months now. The promotion reportedly tried to book it for UFC 258 but wasn’t successful. Thankfully the matchmakers were able to get the fight booked and it will go down at UFC 260.

O’Malley (12-1) hasn’t fought since UFC 252 last August when he suffered a first-round upset TKO loss to Marlon Vera. O’Malley injured his ankle in that fight and has been on the shelf for the past six months, though he has kept a very public profile on social media. After losing to Vera in such shocking fashion in his last fight, O’Malley desperately needs to get a win here. A knockout artist, the UFC is matching O’Malley up against a talented fighter in Almeida who is also prone to being KOed.

Almeida (22-4) was at one point in time one of the top bantamweight prospects in the world. After winning his first four fights in the UFC, he improved to 21-0 and was matched up against Cody Garbrandt in 2016. He lost that fight by brutal knockout and since then has gone just 1-3, including his current three-fight losing skid. Almeida is just 29 years old, but it has been five years now since he was fighting at his top form, and on paper, this looks like a fight the UFC wants O’Malley to win.

Who do you think wins at UFC 260, Sean O’Malley or Thomas Almeida?