Latest news with #UFC292
USA Today
20 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Daniel Cormier: 'It doesn't get easier for Sean O'Malley' after UFC 316 title loss
Daniel Cormier: 'It doesn't get easier for Sean O'Malley' after UFC 316 title loss Daniel Cormier thinks Sean O'Malley now faces a tough road back to the UFC title. O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) lost to bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) for the second-straight time when he was submitted in Saturday's UFC 316 headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. O'Malley lost in more definitive fashion after dropping their first fight at UFC 306 by unanimous decision. Cormier says O'Malley finds himself in a quandary, as he'll have to face murderer's row at bantamweight if he wants to re-insert himself in the title picture. "He just lost to the champion twice," Cormier said of O'Malley on ESPN's SportsCenter. "Until there's a changeover, it'll be hard for Sean O'Malley to work his way back into a title opportunity, and he might find himself standing across from Umar Nurmagomedov. "It doesn't get easier for 'The Suga Show.' But Merab Dvalishvili really showed he is the cream of the crop at 135 pounds, and he did it better than before. He was more dominant than before, and he finished him. If Merab starts to finish guys, he is a real problem in the UFC." O'Malley knocked out Aljamain Sterling to claim the bantamweight title at UFC 292. He successfully defended his belt against Marlon Vera at UFC 299, before losing it to Dvalishvili at UFC 306.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Aljamain Sterling would love to show Sean O'Malley a healthy version of himself in rematch
Aljamain Sterling would love to show Sean O'Malley a healthy version of himself in rematch Let the former champ rest. But I would absolutely LOVE to show him what a healthy version of myself would do. He's got great skills but I still know that was 50% version of myself. — Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) June 8, 2025 Aljamain Sterling is open to running things back with Sean O'Malley – at featherweight. O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) lost to bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) for a second time when he was submitted in Saturday's UFC 316 headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Sterling (24-5 MMA, 16-5 UFC), who lost his bantamweight title to O'Malley by knockout at UFC 292, is adamant that had he been 100 percent healthy, the fight would have gone a different way. Sterling faced O'Malley just three months after retaining his belt against Henry Cejudo in a five-round battle at UFC 288. "Let the former champ rest. But I would absolutely LOVE to show him what a healthy version of myself would do. He's got great skills but I still know that was 50% version of myself." Sterling just wants his fair shake. O'Malley entered his first fight against Dvalishvili at UFC 306 with a torn labrum in his hip, which required surgery. He was awarded an immediate rematch at UFC 316, but fell short once again. Sterling, who has since moved up to featherweight, thinks he was unjustly criticized when he spoke out about his injuries. "Weird, right? Somehow Sean gets a rematch after saying he wasn't 100%. Him and the company knew I wasn't 100% and I STILL gave him the opportunity to become champ. But it's 'coping' when I say it. Ppl are weird and bias. But if he doesn't plan to come up, then he can retire with the win, and I'm fine with that." Weird, right? Somehow Sean gets a rematch after saying he wasn't 100%. Him and the company knew I wasn't 100% and I STILL gave him the opportunity to become champ. But it's 'coping' when I say it. Ppl are weird and bias. But if he doesn't plan to come up, then he can retire with… — Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) June 8, 2025 Prior to UFC 316, O'Malley's head coach Tim Welch said that a potential move up to featherweight is "definitely possible" down the line. However, it is unknown what O'Malley's next move will be after losing to Dvalishvili in a title fight for the second-straight time.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
How to Watch Dvalishvili vs O'Malley 2: Live Stream UFC 316, TV Channel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The much-anticipated rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley is here as UFC 316 is set to take place on Saturday from the Prudential Center, and you can catch all the action with ESPN+. Sean O'Malley celebrates after defeating Aljamain Sterling during their Bantamweight title fight at UFC 292 at TD Garden on August 19, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. Sean O'Malley celebrates after defeating Aljamain Sterling during their Bantamweight title fight at UFC 292 at TD Garden on August 19, 2023 in Boston, to Watch UFC 316 Dvalishvili vs O'Malley 2: Date: Saturday, June 7, 2025 Time: 10:00 PM ET Stream: ESPN+ (WATCH NOW) "Suga" Sean O'Malley was riding a six-fight winning streak and had not lost a UFC bout since 2020 against Marlon Vera, before finally falling to Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision the last time these two faced off in the octagon. O'Malley will look to get his revenge this time around and claim the Bantamweight title belt. O'Malley has held the Bantamweight belt before, but it will not be an easy task taking it back from Dvalishvili, who comes in as the clear favorite. The fight card features a number of other fantastic matches, including the Women's Bantamweight title fight between Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison. The other fights on the main card are Kelvin Gastelum versus Joe Pyfer, Mario Bautista versus Patchy Mix, and Vicente Luque versus Kevin Holland. This is a great UFC fight card that will not disappoint; make sure to tune in and catch all the action. Live stream UFC 316 with ESPN+: Start your subscription now! UFC 316 - Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O'Malley 2 UFC 316 - Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O'Malley 2 ESPN+ The main event can be purchased for live streaming nationally via pay-per-view with a subscription to ESPN+. Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Aljamain Sterling doesn't get Sean O'Malley's stardom: 'His personality is a little dry'
Aljamain Sterling doesn't get Sean O'Malley's stardom: 'His personality is a little dry' Aljamain Sterling is confused by UFC 316 headliner Sean O'Malley's star power. O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) runs things back with Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in Saturday's main event (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Sterling lost his bantamweight title to O'Malley at UFC 292, before his teammate Dvalishvili dethroned O'Malley to become champion at UFC 306. "The Funkmaster" previously said his fight with O'Malley didn't deliver the pay-per-view buys he expected, and that the idea of him being a big star may be a myth. "I don't really know his personality outside of when he's asking me constantly about my weight, or asking other fighters how much they weigh in person," Sterling told Home of Fight. "That's always been my interaction with him: 'How much do you weigh right now?' So I don't really have much to go of off. "I've always said his personality was a little dry, in my opinion, and I didn't really understand the stardom other than his fight skills. He's a very good fighter. He had a lot of good knockouts and highlights. That's usually good when you're fighting not-so-good people." O'Malley revealed that he went into his first fight with Dvalishvili with a torn labrum in his hip, which he underwent surgery for after the fight. When Sterling fought O'Malley, it was just three months after he had retained his belt against Henry Cejudo in a five-round battle at UFC 288. "Isn't that funny? Isn't that funny that he's all of a sudden healthy, but for some reason I was making excuses when we fought, had to turn around (fast) after just going 25 minutes with a former two-division champion?" Sterling said. "You could say whatever you want. I had to take a whole month off just to let my legs heal, and somehow that had no bearing on the fight in his fanbase's mind. "But anyone, as a combat sports athlete, understands the game. You have to be mentally ready and physically prepared in order to step in there, so I think it's perfect timing with the irony. Karma has a way of playing funny games, and now he sees how it feels. Even if he had two good hips, I really don't think on that day he was beating Merab."
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC bantamweight title history: Dominick Cruz, Aljamain Sterling, Merab Dvalishvili, more
UFC bantamweight title history: Dominick Cruz, Aljamain Sterling, Merab Dvalishvili, more (This story was updated to add new information.) The bantamweight title is on the line in the UFC 316 main event when champion Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) takes on ex-champ Sean O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in a rematch. Take a look at a chronological history of the UFC's 135-pound title, which migrated over from the WEC in 2010 when the promotions merged. Dominick Cruz Date: Dec. 16, 2010 Dec. 16, 2010 Event: WEC 53 WEC 53 Opponent: Scott Jorgensen Scott Jorgensen Total reign: 1,117 days 1,117 days Title defenses: Urijah Faber, Demetrious Johnson Renan Barao (interim) Date: July 21, 2012 July 21, 2012 Event: UFC 149 UFC 149 Opponent: Urijah Faber Urijah Faber Total reign: 534 days as interim champ; 138 days after being promoted to champion (Jan. 6, 2014) 534 days as interim champ; 138 days after being promoted to champion (Jan. 6, 2014) Title defenses: Michael McDonald, Eddie Wineland, Urijah Faber T.J. Dillashaw Date: May 24, 2014 May 24, 2014 Event: UFC 173 UFC 173 Opponent: Renan Barao Renan Barao Total reign: 603 days 603 days Title defenses: Joe Soto, Renan Barao Dominick Cruz Date: Jan. 17, 2016 Jan. 17, 2016 Event: UFC Fight Night 81 UFC Fight Night 81 Opponent: T.J. Dillashaw T.J. Dillashaw Total reign: 348 days 348 days Title defenses: Urijah Faber Cody Garbrandt Date: Dec. 30, 2016 Dec. 30, 2016 Event: UFC 207 UFC 207 Opponent: Dominick Cruz Dominick Cruz Total reign: 309 days 309 days Title defenses: None T.J. Dillashaw Date: Nov. 4, 2017 Nov. 4, 2017 Event: UFC 217 UFC 217 Opponent: Cody Garbrandt Cody Garbrandt Total reign: 501 days 501 days Title defenses: Cody Garbrandt Henry Cejudo Date: June 8, 2019 June 8, 2019 Event: UFC 238 UFC 238 Opponent: Marlon Moraes Marlon Moraes Total reign: 352 days 352 days Title defenses: Dominick Cruz Petr Yan Date: July 12, 2020 July 12, 2020 Event: UFC 251 UFC 251 Opponent: Jose Aldo Jose Aldo Total reign: 237 days 237 days Title defenses: None Aljamain Sterling Date: March 6, 2021 March 6, 2021 Event: UFC 259 UFC 259 Opponent: Petr Yan Petr Yan Total reign: 896 days 896 days Title defenses: Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw, Henry Cejudo Petr Yan (interim) Date: Oct. 30, 2021 Oct. 30, 2021 Event: UFC 267 UFC 267 Opponent: Cory Sandhagen Cory Sandhagen Title defenses: None Sean O'Malley Date: Aug. 19, 2023 Aug. 19, 2023 Event: UFC 292 UFC 292 Opponent: Aljamain Sterling Aljamain Sterling Total reign: 393 days 393 days Title defenses: Marlon Vera Merab Dvalishvili
