Sean O’Malley faced a pretty unfortunate defeat at the hands of Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. But there was something peculiar about O’Malley’s performance at the event. It was only a couple of days after UFC’s debut in the Sphere that the fight fans got to know about his injury. Yes indeed! ‘Suga’ had his hip labrum torn while preparing for the fight.

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was originally expected to be sidelined for six to eight months. However, after undergoing surgery, ‘Suga’ is aiming to make his return a bit earlier than anticipated. But whom should he face on his comeback? Coach Javier Mendez has the answer for you.

Sean O’Malley should face Henry Cejudo next feels coach Mendez

Henry Cejudo always had his eye on Sean O’Malley, especially during the latter’s rise in the promotion when ‘Triple C’ was making a run for the title. After O’Malley’s decisive loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, the former two-division champion, who has been trading barbs with O’Malley online, has put his name forward as a potential opponent. However, with Cejudo’s wrestling-heavy style resembling Dvalishvili’s, he doubts O’Malley will agree to the matchup, wary of reliving the tough defeat he suffered at Noche UFC.

Now, coach Javier Mendez of the American Kickboxing Academy wants to see a showdown between Cejudo and O’Malley. The famed coach of Team Khabib doesn’t see a reason why that matchup doesn’t happen, given they’re both entertainers in their own right. While speaking to The Schmo, he said, “I don’t really know, maybe Henry. Yeah, why not? Those two guys would be good for each other. Why not ‘Suga’ Sean, he’s good fun to watch, and Henry is – he knows how to chop it up. Why not let them fight? They are both entertainers and I think it would be a good fight.”

Henry Cejudo also feels like a fight with Sean O’Malley would be good for him. During his ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast, ‘Triple C’ seemed pretty confident of beating the former champion. Wrestling has never been the strength of ‘Suga’ and Cejudo feels his fellow Arizona bantamweight will never agree to fight him. Here’s what he said, “I personally, I would love to fight him [Sean O’Malley]. I think with all the trolling that we have done to each other [we should fight, also since] we both live in the same damn city.” Cejudo feels confident about his chances against O’Malley and the UFC could feature both ex-champs in an Arizona event next year if UFC CEO Dana White decides to set that fight up.

However, since the UFC rarely pressures fighters—especially someone of O’Malley’s caliber—into taking specific matchups, the decision ultimately rests with him. But it’s not only Henry Cejudo who wants to take on Sean O’Malley as there’s another one of the latter’s past opponents in the line. Now sitting at #3 in the bantamweight rankings, Petr Yan is hungry to return to the top. Along with pursuing a title shot against the current champion, Merab Dvalishvili, Yan is also focused on settling the score with ‘Suga’ after their controversial bout.

Petr Yan has his eyes set on Sean O’Malley for his next fight in his career

Petr Yan is proving why he’s called ‘No Mercy’ as he looks to settle the score with his old rival, Sean O’Malley. The former bantamweight champion has bounced back from a tough three-fight skid, securing consecutive victories over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo. While his recent wins have put him back in the mix, Yan still carries the sting of his controversial loss to O’Malley at UFC 280 in 2022. Petr Yan recently sat down for an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, where he candidly spoke about his plans moving forward in the UFC.

The former bantamweight champion didn’t shy away from throwing a dig at his old rival, Sean O’Malley. Speaking through his translator, Yan laid out the potential matchups he’s interested in if a title shot against Merab Dvalishvili isn’t in the cards. He said, “If this is gonna happen, I would lean towards a rematch with Sean O’Malley. I don’t know what’s going on with him; he’s out for nine or 12 months, so maybe he got pregnant.”  Even as Sean O’Malley recovers from hip surgery, he continues to draw attention from fighters eager to challenge him.

With several contenders eyeing a shot at him, the question remains – who should Sean O’Malley face next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.