Ali Abdelaziz thinks Sean O’Malley is still the biggest fight in the bantamweight division.
O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) lost his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision in Saturday’s UFC 306 main event. It was later revealed that he tore his labrum 10 weeks out from the fight and is set to undergo surgery on Oct. 3.
Despite Dvalishvili’s reluctance, Abdelaziz expects his fighter Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) to get the next title shot. If victorious, Abdelaziz wants to see Nurmagomedov fight O’Malley in his first title defense, even though O’Malley would be coming off a lopsided title loss.
“I would like Sean O’Malley to do this: Take as much time as he wants off, and I believe Umar will beat Merab, and after that, Umar will give him a title shot coming off a loss,” Abdelaziz told ESPN. “I think Sean O’Malley is one of the biggest stars in the sport. This is a business about making money, and I think Sean O’Malley deserves a title shot coming off a loss.
“Do you know why? Because Sean O’Malley makes everyone in the division money. Not Merab. It’s not Umar yet. Umar will be, though, because Umar has two billion people behind his back. He will be the second Khabib (Nurmagomedov). He doesn’t talk much. He needs to trash talk a little bit more like Khabib did, but Umar is special.”
Abdelaziz clarified that Nurmagomedov will fight whomever the UFC offers but argued that a fight with O’Malley would draw the biggest audience in the division.
“Umar will fight anybody, can be Petr Yan or Figueiredo, but this is about making money. And Sean O’Malley – nobody gave a sh*t about the bantamweight division before,” Abdelaziz added. “You have to give him credit. I don’t know Sean O’Malley, we’re not friends, I don’t have pink hair, but the guy brought a lot of hype for the division.
“How you don’t give this guy a title shot coming from a loss? Who cares. They (UFC) gave Frankie Edgar a title shot coming off a loss, they gave Izzy (Adesanya) a title shot coming off a loss. … This is about hype, about business, about making money. Listen, Figueiredo and Merab, nobody gives a sh*t. Petr Yan and Merab, nobody cares. Umar and Merab, people care. Umar and Sean O’Malley, people care.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.
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