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This weekend at UFC 276, hot bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley takes on his first ranked opponent in the form of tough veteran Pedro Munhoz.
Right now, Sean O’Malley has probably the most hype of any prospect in the UFC’s bantamweight division, but are there fighters who deserve more fanfare than ‘Sugar’?
Sean O’Malley is undoubtedly a highly talented fighter, but the truth is that there are prospects who are both equally exciting to watch and more proven in the octagon, too.
With that in mind, here are five UFC bantamweights who deserve more hype than Sean O’Malley.
#5. Marlon Vera deserves more hype than Sean O’Malley
Right now, despite all of the hype around him, Sean O’Malley is currently ranked at No.13 in the UFC’s bantamweight division. He’s definitely impressed in all seven of his octagon victories, but bizarrely, not only do many fans overlook his lone defeat, but they seem to overlook the man who handed him that loss, too.
It was back in August 2020 when Marlon Vera, who was coming off a loss of his own to Song Yadong, stopped ‘Sugar’ with a series of punches and elbows in the first round of their bout at UFC 252.
In the wake of the loss, Sean O’Malley attempted to play things down, claiming that a leg injury led directly to his downfall. Of course, this conveniently ignored the fact that Vera had landed a handful of heavy blows to the limb and still needed to finish him with strikes once the fight hit the mat.
Since then, ‘Chito’ has won three of his four subsequent bouts, dropping a decision to Jose Aldo before defeating Davey Grant, Frankie Edgar and Rob Font. Notably, he stopped Edgar with a brutal front kick to the jaw.
These wins have moved the Ecuadorian into the bantamweight division’s top five for the first time. Despite the fact that he’s netted a major clash with a former UFC champ in Dominick Cruz in August, he still seems to be failing to get the hype he deserves.
Should fans be more excited for Vera than O’Malley? Absolutely. Not only did ‘Chito’ stop ‘Sugar’, but he’s more proven against higher-level fighters and is just as exciting to watch. Why he’s not a major star right now is an absolute mystery.
#4. Umar Nurmagomedov deserves more hype than Sean O’Malley
Given his connections to his cousin, former UFC lightweight kingpin Khabib Nurmagomedov, it’s a surprise in a lot of ways that Umar Nurmagomedov isn’t being more hyped up by the fans right now.
However, despite breaking into the top 15 in the bantamweight division thanks to his dominant win over Nate Maness this weekend, it seems that the Dagestani is flying under the radar, especially in comparison to fellow prospect Sean O’Malley.
Okay, so it’s true that O’Malley has more UFC victories under his belt than Nurmagomedov, who debuted in the octagon in January 2021 and then spent a year out of action before returning this March, but are those victories of a higher quality?
It’s debatable. After all, Nurmagomedov dealt with Sergey Morozov with relative ease in his debut, and while MMA math doesn’t always work, it’s worth noting that Morozov just beat Raulian Paiva, who stands as O’Malley’s most recent victim and was arguably his toughest test to date.
It’s likely that with more wins under his belt, Nurmagomedov will gain more hype behind him, largely due to his family connection. But the truth is that he should probably be considered on a level playing field with ‘Sugar’ now, rather than somewhere behind him on the path to the top.
#3. Song Yadong deserves more hype than Sean O’Malley
While his UFC record of 7-1, with five finishes via KO or TKO, is an impressive one, it’s safe to say that Sean O’Malley hasn’t quite reached the elite level yet, largely because he hasn’t fought any truly high-level opponents.
However, while his flashy, heavy-hitting style and outspoken nature has made him a fan favorite, other bantamweight prospects have performed in just as exciting a style. One of those bantamweights is Chinese prospect Song Yadong.
‘The Kung Fu Monkey’ has been part of the UFC’s roster for a similar time to O’Malley, as he debuted in the octagon in November 2017, about a week before ‘Sugar’.
However, while O’Malley has largely snacked on lower-level opponents, Yadong has faced off with some of the toughest 135lbers on the roster, including Marlon Vera, Marlon Moraes and Cody Stamann.
Thus far, only Kyler Phillips has been able to beat him, meaning he’s climbed up into the division’s top 10. However, despite his success and an exciting style – he’s finished five of his eight UFC wins – he remains largely under the radar with the fans.
Given that English isn’t his first language, it’s relatively easy to see why this is. But the truth is that given his accomplishments, he probably deserves more hype than O’Malley does right now.
#2. Adrian Yanez deserves more hype than Sean O’Malley
While he’s slipped out of the UFC’s bantamweight top 15 for the time being due to the rise of Umar Nurmagomedov, it’s safe to say that one of the hottest prospects on the roster at 135 pounds is Adrian Yanez.
The native of Texas has been on a truly remarkable run since arriving in the promotion in late 2020. He’s currently riding a five-fight win streak in the octagon, and hasn’t lost in his last nine bouts overall.
More to the point, Yanez has a ridiculously exciting style, largely based around a heavy-hitting boxing game. Of his five victories inside the octagon, just one has gone the distance, as he’s left his other four opponents unconscious after a flurry of blows.
In fact, he’s managed to claim a $50k performance bonus for all five of his fights in the UFC thus far, something practically unheard of from even the most exciting fighters on the roster.
Sure, it’s probably fair to argue that like O’Malley, Yanez hasn’t faced any elite-level opponents yet. He probably hasn’t beaten anyone as good as Eddie Wineland, who fell to ‘Sugar’ in 2020, but that shouldn’t matter too much.
Yanez has already attempted to call out O’Malley for a fight, promising to bring his hype to an end. But whether ‘Sugar’ accepts is another thing entirely. Despite this, though, it’s fair to say that the Texan deserves just as much hype as his bigger-name rival.
#1. Merab Dvalishvili deserves more hype than Sean O’Malley
The fighter who probably deserves the most hype in the UFC’s bantamweight division right now – but doesn’t seem to be receiving it – is undoubtedly Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili.
‘The Machine’ is currently ranked at No.6 in the division and he’s riding a lengthy seven-fight win streak that dates all the way back to mid-2018. More to the point, unlike Sean O’Malley, he hasn’t been defeating scrubs in the octagon.
Not only did Dvalishvili dominate both Cody Stamann and John Dodson, two fighters who would probably be considered better than any of the opponents beaten by ‘Sugar’ thus far, but his most recent win saw him destroy Marlon Moraes, largely putting him on the path to retirement.
With a ridiculously powerful wrestling game, incredible cardio and a heavy-handed striking arsenal capable of finishing his opponents, Dvalishvili essentially has no weaknesses and ought to be considered a genuine title contender.
Quite how more people aren’t talking him up right now, especially when you compare his hype to that of O’Malley, is a mystery. But perhaps that will change if he defeats Jose Aldo in August.
