5 logical opponents for Sean O'Malley after UFC 269 win

#4. Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Moraes

An ideal opponent for Sean O’Malley as looks to climb the UFC bantamweight rankings would be No.9-ranked Marlon Moraes. O’Malley will most likely have to take on another striker as he looks to ascend the pecking order at 135 lbs.

The UFC matchmakers have been strategically pitting Sean O’Malley against favorable stylistic matchups since taking notice of his star power. O’Malley’s striking acumen has drawn praise from some of the best strikers in the sport, including Conor McGregor and Israel Adesanya.

Marlon Moraes is a stand-up fighter who rarely shoots for takedowns. He’s even knocked out the reigning UFC bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling.

Moraes’ style of fighting makes him the perfect adversary for Sean O’Malley as the latter looks to crack the top 10 at 135 lbs. Additionally, the Brazilian has endured a torrid run of late and is coming off consecutive KO/TKO losses to Cory Sandhagen, Rob Font and Merab Dvalishvili.

From a marketability standpoint, a knockout victory over a former title contender sets up Sean O’Malley for another huge fight in the bantamweight division. A win over an experienced and well-known fighter like Marlon Moraes could see his popularity rise even further.

---

#3. Sean O'Malley vs. Pedro Munhoz

Pedro Munhoz, another striker, is a sensible matchup for Sean O’Malley in the same way that Marlon Moraes is. However, there’s another reason why a potential fight between Munhoz and O’Malley could benefit the latter in changing a certain narrative that continues to haunt him.

There’s a growing theme about the effect of calf kicks every time Sean O’Malley fights. The calf kick has taken over the sport unlike any other singular technique we’ve ever seen, with almost all fighters actively learning how to throw and defend the devastating technique.

In Sean O’Malley’s loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252, Vera landed a calf kick that hit the infamous peroneal nerve in O'Malley's calf.

Direct impact on the nerve tends to cause a medical condition known as ‘drop-foot’, which prevents an athlete from putting weight on the leg that got hit. It has happened only a handful of times in the history of MMA.

O’Malley’s right leg gave out against Vera in the first round, allowing the Ecuadorian to finish the fight against an effectively one-legged opponent.

Sean O’Malley has been vocal about his irritation towards the UFC commentary team regarding the constant chatter surrounding his ability to defend calf kicks. In a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow, O’Malley said:

"They said, 'I don't know why, when you're going to fight Sean, you don't throw more leg kicks. He clearly had a problem in the Chito [Marlon vera] fight with the leg kicks.' I fight Thomas Almeida, who's a f***ing good kickboxer, who tried kicking my legs... I countered, he landed a couple, I did a couple good things with the leg kicks. Kris Moutinho, who probably kicked my legs more than Thomas, still kicked my legs."

"You can just say anything on the mic. Everyone knows how much I f***ing love Joe Rogan. I say it after my fights... He might have watched that Chito fight one time while he was sitting there and then his opinion is what he saw right there. But dude, he got one kick that hit my [peroneal] nerve... He did land a couple of good leg kicks after that, but I was on one leg and I still pieced him up. If you're gonna comentate and bring up that fight, every single time I fight, go watch it and form a knowledgeable opinion about it."

Watch Sean O'Malley discuss the apparent theme surrounding his susceptibility to calf kicks below:

Pedro Munhoz is notoriously one of the best at calf kicks in the UFC. His fight against Jimmie Rivera is a classic example of just how crippling the kick is. If he was to take on Sean O’Malley, the calf kick would undoubtedly be his best weapon.

Meanwhile, O’Malley might want to make a statement, terminate the narrative and silence the critics who harp on about his apparent susceptibility to the technique. Additionally, Munhoz is ranked No.10 in the bantamweight division and is an ideal matchup for Sean O’Malley as he looks to climb the ladder at 135 lbs.