The rumours continue to circulate over the main event for UFC 229 due to take place in Las Vegas on October 6. While talk grows over a UFC Lightweight title defence by Khabib Nurmagomedov against Conor McGregor, bantamweight prospect ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley has been talking about the event featuring him in a co-main event.
What does O’Malley Know?
O’Malley has been busy on Instagram with a video of him knocking out David Nuzzo with a spinning hook kick. Underneath the video were the words “CO MAIN EVENT October 6th in Las Vegas. #sugarshow.” Perhaps O’Malley knows something that isn’t yet common knowledge and he’s being lined up to take on a major bantamweight contender that with a win could lead to a title fight sometime in 2019.
Injury Hits his Momentum
It’d be a massive step-up for O’Malley if he were to be featured in such a prominent way at UFC 229. It’s been a successful but painful year for him so far. The 23-year-old hasn’t fought since March of this year when he injured the ligaments in his foot during a win over Andre Soukhamthath. By the end of that fight he was struggling to stand but held on for a unanimous points win taking his UFC record to 10-0.
He was due to top the bill at the Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale that takes place on Friday July 6 but that’s come too soon for him and he’s targeting a major fight at UFC 229. Will that be a co-main event match as he hopes?
The undefeated fighter has been receiving a big push by the UFC who definitely see him as a future star of the Octagon. He’s received a big push on the Tuesday Night Contender series over the past year and has been getting some impressive wins.
Possible Opponents
The current UFC Bantamweight Champion is TJ Dillashaw and there doesn’t seem to be any indication that he will be putting his title on the line against O’Malley at UFC 229. He’s due to be putting his title on the line on August 4 at UFC 227, the man he beat in November of last year to win the title.
It’s more likely that O’Malley could find himself up against one of the top bantamweight contenders. Possible candidates on that list would include the experienced John Lineker. He has a record of 31-8-0 and has won his last two contests since being beaten by Dillashaw in 2016 at UFC 207 and is currently ranked sixth.
Another to consider is Raphael Assuncao who has won three in a row since being defeated by Dillashaw at UFC 200 two years ago. He’s due to be fighting Rob Font at the July 7 UFC 226 event and would be a good opponent for O’Malley to face if he wants to make a massive impact in the UFC. Just who he will be facing remains to be seen but if fully fit after his injuries, the unbeaten fighter could well use the UFC 229 event to make a real name for himself and set up a big 2019.