Sean O’Malley’s lopsided loss to Merab Dvalishvili at the Las Vegas Sphere in the UFC 306 main event has halted the bantamweight division’s momentum. There are fans joking online that having a wrestling-heavy star like Merab Dvalishvili win the title just two months after a similar styled- Belal Muhammad dominated Leon Edwards has Dana White sweating. However, Jon Anik disagrees.

According to the UFC play-by-play commentator, there is a huge upside to O’Malley dropping the title that most are overlooking. Reflecting on the bout with Mike Heck on ‘Between The Links,’ Anik pointed out that if ‘Suga’ won the fight, the UFC would have been in a lot of trouble. He pointed out the silver lining and said, “Well, I think the good news if you’re looking for a silver lining for the UFC is that had Sean won this fight, maybe this hip injury would have had to have been repaired anyway”. 

O’Malley made it clear that an injury would leave him out of action for more than eight months or even a year. Anik believes it might have even raised the need for an interim title fight. So, where would that leave the bantamweight division?

Unfortunately for the fans, it would have been in the same condition as the heavyweight division is at the moment. The UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is currently out of action because of an injury. However, he has no interest in facing Tom Aspinall, who currently holds the interim title in his absence, which has put the UFC in a bit of a mix.

But with Merab Dvalishvili winning the battle at UFC 306, the bantamweight division is now open for multiple matches. Dvalishvili is fully fit and ready to defend his title next, as Anik pointed out. He further added, “So I think right now your new champion is pretty durable and willing to take on all challengers,” said Anik. Currently, there is no announcement of his next fight, but it seems he will have to face the unbeaten Dagestani Umar Nurmagomedov next.

But let’s now shift our focus to O’Malley’s injury. What precautions should have been taken to avoid the injury? A professional doctor shared an insight on the injury and also disagreed with UFC CEO Dana White.

Sean O’Malley was beaten fair and square, feels doctor David Abbasi

At the DWCS Season 8, Week 6 press conference, Dana White faced a flurry of questions about Sean O’Malley’s injury. One reporter suggested it was a major hindrance to ‘Suga’s performance, and White had no option but to agree with him. However, Dr. David Abbasi, who is a pro-MMA and Boxing Ringside doctor and an Orthopedic Sports Surgeon, refused to accept the claims. According to the expert doctor, fighting with a hip injury is not something new, and there are many professional fighters who are doing it.

Abbasi took it to his Instagram account, where he shared details on how to treat such injuries. He pointed out how MMA fighters are prone to such types of injuries, and torn labrums and meniscuses are very common. Abbasi feels that O’Malley, who has world-class trainers available with him, should have undergone treatment and said, “If you wanna start finding things wrong with somebody, like hip labral tears, or meniscus tears, or cartilage injuries, all you gotta do is start MRIing their body.” Dvalishvili’s victory is somehow being discredited because of the injury to O’Malley. But the reality is he was the better fighter that day and deserved to win, according to Abbasi.

Hopefully, the 29-year-old returns to full fitness quickly, as he has a long road ahead of him in the division. Do you think Sean O’Malley’s injury hampered the outcome of the fight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.