UFC News: Sean O'Malley Teases Next Fight: 'Hoping For The Sphere In Vegas'

The UFC bantamweight champion was on the call for the Diaz vs. Masvidal main card.

Zain Bando | Jul 7, 2024

Mandatory Credit: Craig Kidwell-USA TODAY Sports / Craig Kidwell-USA TODAY Sports

Although Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal 2 will go down in the history books as a boxing match, the broadcast included UFC elements, including UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1, 1 NC UFC) on color commentary.

O'Malley was part of the "Last Man Standing" pay-per-view broadcast team, as he had a ringside view of Diaz's 10-round majority decision boxing win against Jorge Masvidal, winning on two of the three judges' scorecards.

During the co-main event between Shane Mosley Jr. and Daniel Jacobs, long-time boxing and MMA play-by-play commentator Mauro Ranallo asked O'Malley about an update on his next title defense. O'Malley had a stellar showing against Marlon Vera in March at UFC 299, exacting revenge.

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While brief, O'Malley did his best to give a complete picture about the UFC's scheduling woes, as there remains a lack of clarity surrounding the UFC's Sphere event Sept. 14, as no headlining fights have been confirmed for the card at press time.

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"Hoping for the Sphere in Vegas but if not it’ll be in December, we are pushing for it [The Sphere] but nothing confirmed,” O'Malley said Saturday night.

It is unclear whether or not the UFC's second "Noche" edition will run similarly to its 2023 version, which saw it branded as a "Fight Night." Barring anything catastrophic, a pay-per-view intends to move forward as planned. UFC CEO Dana White has been adamant that the event will be the "greatest live sporting event" ever from television and an in-house perspective, but that remains to be seen.

Although O'Malley's next fight is not official, all signs seem to point to a fight with Merab Dvalishvili, the division's top contender.

For now, only time will tell, as the event is a little over two months away.

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Published Jul 7, 2024

ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99