‘The Eagle’ has told the UFC how to matchmake the bantamweight title picture.
MMA’s leading promotion has a few decisions to make regarding the top names at 135 pounds after what unfolded at January’s UFC 324 numbered event.
Among the big winners on the card were Sean O’Malley and Umar Nurmagomedov, both of whom had their hands raised to advance their ambitions of securing the bantamweight throne in 2026.
Many are expecting Merab Dvalishvili’s trilogy fight with Petr Yan to mark the Russian champion’s first defense since regaining the crown last December.
Khabib Nurmagomedov supports that booking, but he does not believe that a title eliminator between O’Malley and his cousin is the right move in the meantime.
- THROWBACK: Anderson Silva made rival who robbed him of a UFC title defense tap by smashing his head with elbows
Who would you be more excited to see Petr Yan defend the bantamweight title against?
Did 'Suga' do enough to earn a rematch at UFC 324? Let us know in the comments.
Khabib Nurmagomedov pushes back on talk of Umar fighting Sean O’Malley
Umar Nurmagomedov beat Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324 to make it two wins in a row since his failed title shot against Dvalishvili in January 2025.
Despite that, the Dagestani is not calling for a title shot. Ahead of the event, he knew a win would not be enough to put him at the front of the queue and instead gave the UFC two options for his next fight: O’Malley if Dvalishvili challenges Yan or his Dvalishvili rematch if O’Malley runs it back with the champ.
Speaking to Udar, Khabib backed the Georgian’s claim to a shot, but he had something else in mind for his cousin other than the O’Malley fight.
The legendary former lightweight champion urged the UFC not to eliminate one man from the equation, instead telling them to match Umar and O’Malley up with different opponents. Whoever wins the most decisively and impressively would then be awarded the opportunity.
“I think Merab needs to get his rematch in April or May,” Nurmagomedov said (h/t @Home_of_Fight).
“Umar and O’Malley should fight different opponents. Whoever gets the more impressive win earns the title shot.
“As a matchmaker, I wouldn’t make Umar vs O’Malley yet. Why play all your cards at once? If they fight now, the UFC loses a star no matter what,” he added.
- LATEST NEWS: UFC Hall of Famer joins Arman Tsarukyan and multiple ex-champions on stacked upcoming card
Sean O’Malley is willing to accept a non-title fight on one condition
If the UFC heeds Khabib’s advice, there may be the perfect opponent for O’Malley’s side of the equation.
Fans have long wanted to see O’Malley throw down with Cory Sandhagen inside the Octagon in a clash of arguably the bantamweight division’s two best strikers.
While ‘Suga’ would prefer to wait for the outcome of Yan vs Dvalishvili 3, he recently revealed what it would take from the UFC for him to accept the Sandhagen fight.
“I would ask, ‘Can I wait for Petr and Merab, and let that fight play out,’” O’Malley said during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“I wanna fight for the belt. Or, pay me the same amount as I would for a title fight and I’ll fight Cory.
“For me, this has been a business since the beginning,” he continued. “Since day one, I have wanted to make as much money as possible.
“Right now, with the way my contract is set up, I make a lot more money fighting for the title.”
Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say