Sean O’Malley: "UFC wants me to main event my own show"

Sean O’Malley is not interested in sharing the limelight with anyone else when he defends his UFC bantamweight belt for the first time.

He knocked out Aljamain Sterling in the second round last August and immediately called for a rematch with Chito Vera, the only man who has defeated him in MMA, in December. But he found out that the UFC had other plans and the Vera fight might be delayed until 2024.

“I really, really did truly want to fight in December,” O’Malley said on JRE MMA Show. “But I spoke to the UFC and they already had something else in mind. They were working on Colby [Covington] and Leon [Edwards]. They told me they want me to be the main event of my own show, which I think is f****** awesome. I’m up for that.”

O’Malley made his UFC main event debut when he fought Sterling. The 28-year-old bantamweight king has risen to fame and popularity as one of the most exciting and charismatic fighters in the sport.

O’Malley is eager to headline another pay-per-view, but he knows that he won’t be on the same card as another UFC champion. That rules out his preferred option for his next fight.

“I think UFC 300 is in April,” O’Malley said. “That would be a cool card to be on, but they’re not going to let me be the main event. I’m guessing I’ll fight before that, before UFC 300.”

Follow fight.tv for all the latest news and updates from the world of MMA.