Sean O’Malley provides a retirement timeline ahead of UFC 316 rematch against Merab Dvalishvili.
O’Malley is set to return to action on June 8, taking on Merab Dvalishvili in the UFC 316 main event; the pair previously fought at UFC 306.
Dvalishvili avenged his teammate Aljamain Sterling’s loss in that encounter, managing a dominant unanimous decision win. The Georgian neutralised O’Malley’s dangerous striking with his offensive grappling.
‘Suga’ is now 18-2 and at the age of 30, has a lot of time left in his career. He is aiming to become a two-time UFC bantamweight champion with a win against ‘The Machine’ in the rematch.
O’Malley recently reflected on his training and recovery in a chat with UFC colour commentator Jon Anik. He also hinted at how long fans might see him as an active fighter.
When does Sean O’Malley think he’ll retire?
O’Malley has claimed he’ll continue fighting until the age of 37 or 38. He thinks recovery will play a major part in his ability to have a prolonged career.
O’Malley told the UFC’s YouTube channel: “I train in the morning, recover, take a nap, train again in the afternoon. I don’t really have energy to go do stuff. Right now, I’m so focused on just, not even just fighting Merab, but like, I want to fight till I’m 37, 38—as long as my body holds up.
He added: “And for that to be the case, I have to take recovery as serious as I take training.”
Out of O’Malley’s 18 career wins, 12 have come by knockout. He might need another to beat Dvalishvili this weekend and regain the bantamweight title.
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Revisiting Sean O’Malley’s UFC career ahead of Merab Dvalishvili rematch
O’Malley joined the UFC in 2017 following a sensational knockout win at Dana White’s Contender Series. He was on a fast upward trajectory, amassing four back-to-back wins before being beaten by Marlon Vera.
‘Suga’ then went on a five-fight unbeaten run to set up a bantamweight title fight against Sterling. The consensus was that Sterling’s grappling-heavy style could cause O’Malley problems.
However, he earned a stellar knockout win to become the champion. Always tipped to become a superstar, ‘Suga’ looked on the right course.
He then avenged the loss against Vera in a rematch at UFC 299 before dropping the belt to Dvalishvili at UFC 306. O’Malley has the chance to avenge his other career loss on June 8.
‘The Machine’, on the other hand, has already defended the title once, against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311.