Sean O'Malley is no longer interested in a fight with Cody Garbrandt.
Sean O'Malley is one of the most talked-about fighters in the UFC bantamweight division. He has done a great job of taking charge of his career and has moved up the ranks at his own pace. Sometimes criticized by fans and fighters for not facing top-ranked opponents, that does not stop O'Malley from turning down fights that don't make sense to him. Most recently, that means backing away from a potential fight with Cody Garbrandt.
Recently, O'Malley spoke out about the call out he received from the former bantamweight champion and why now is not the right time for him to accept a bout with Garbrandt.
“Dude, Cody (Garbrandt) wants–he’s not getting that fight (with me),” O’Malley said on his podcast, The TimboSugarShow. “When he said it, you could see in his voice (sic), ‘Oh, I want, uh’ – but that fight’s not happening. It doesn’t make sense for him to say that. I wonder if that’s CTE. He’s been knocked out five (four) times in the last two years (five years). That fights not happening, at least, not next. He needs to – it just doesn’t make sense, dude. It just literally doesn’t make sense.”
Garbrandt expressed interest in O'Malley following his failed flyweight debut at UFC 269. Since bantamweight seems like the next logical option for Garbrandt, maybe O'Malley could be an interesting choice.
Despite O'Malley saying he is no longer interested, he has been looking for a ranked opponent to face. His recent win over Raulian Paiva put him in the top fifteen for the first time in his career. Garbrandt is no longer ranked at bantamweight since he dropped to 125 pounds, but he could very well find himself back there with one fight at 135 pounds.
O'Malley is very popular and has been called out by several fighters following his last win. If he is not interested in Garbrandt anymore, he should have no trouble finding a ranked fighter to face next.
Who would you like to see Sean O'Malley face next?