Sean O\u2019Malley can look back on his brief title reign with a smirk on his face.<\/p>\n
Back in 2023, O\u2019Malley was riding high with a shocking second-round knockout of Aljamain Sterling to become UFC bantamweight champion. Six months later, he avoided being one-and-done with a convincing unanimous decision win over Marlon \u201cChito\u201d Vera, a result that also served to avenge O\u2019Malley\u2019s lone loss.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Malley went on to lose a pair of title fights to current champion Merab Dvalishvili, and even O\u2019Malley seems to be aware that he was fortunate not to fight Dvalishvili sooner. Discussing Jack Della Maddalena\u2019s one-sided decision loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 this past Saturday, O\u2019Malley believes \u201cJDM\u201d got a raw deal having his first title defense come against arguably the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in all of MMA.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was very high level,\u201d O\u2019Malley said on The BrO\u2019Malley Show<\/a>. \u201cIslam moving up from 155 to 170, fighting JDM the champ. Poor JDM, he goes out there, he gets the belt, he wins the belt, and the first title defense is Islam.<\/p>\n \u201cFortunate for me, I win the belt, they gave me Chito. Woo! We got the game wrapped up on our finger there.\u201d<\/p>\n Makhachev was so dominant against Della Maddalena, it raised the question of whether the former lightweight champion can go on another lengthy run in a second division. Welterweight contenders Michael Morales and Carlos Prates also impressed with highlight-reel knockouts Saturday, so if Makhachev decides to stick around at 170 pounds, he has no shortage of worthy challengers with which to build his r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n However, O\u2019Malley wonders if it\u2019s Ilia Topuria, the former featherweight champion who claimed Makhachev\u2019s vacant lightweight title, that still presents the biggest threat to the new welterweight king.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have someone that can take you down and you can\u2019t get back up, it changes the way you can fight,\u201d Makhachev said. \u201cIt changes your abilities and you saw that Islam, one of the greatest of all time. The question is does he do that to Ilia Topuria?<\/p>\n \u201cIlia\u2019s 5-foot-5, I feel like him being so short\u2019s going to make it harder for Islam to get in on the shots. Maybe, maybe not. This is just thinking out loud, but does he go out there and do that to Ilia, too?\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Malley maintained a sympathetic tone discussing Della Maddalena\u2019s disappointing loss, which isn\u2019t surprising given O\u2019Malley knows what it\u2019s like to be foiled by relentless wrestling, with Dvalishili grappling him into oblivion in both of their fights.<\/p>\n The fact that Della Maddalena made it to the final bell is a moral victory in O\u2019Malley\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s crazy how much damage he didn\u2019t take and how good of a job he did not getting submitted,\u201d O\u2019Malley said. \u201cIt sucks that\u2019s the takeaway, but that was very impressive for him not to get submitted. \u2026 It was very good, but at the end of the day you\u2019re still on your back, it\u2019s still nothing. Nothing you can do about that. Unfortunate for JDM.\u201d<\/p>\n Report. The MMA Fighting crew breaks down all the big storylines<\/a> in the aftermath of UFC 322.<\/p>\n Heartbreak. JDM\u2019s coach sums up how the fighter and his team are feeling after UFC 322 loss: \u201cIt hurts like hell.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Next. Signs point to Islam Makhachev\u2019s first welterweight title defense being against<\/a> Kamaru Usman.<\/p>\n More. Magomed Zaynukov a.k.a. \u201cChanco\u201d a.k.a. \u201cJohn Pork\u201d has one regret about<\/a> Dillon Danis brawl: That Danis wasn\u2019t roughed up more.<\/p>\n Promotion. Dana White scoffs at the concept of \u201cDana White privilege.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Jorge Masvidal has a lot to say about Dillon Danis and he sneaks in a message for his old pal Leon Edwards, too.<\/p>\n Seems obvious, but still worth a deep dive.<\/p>\n Get primed for UFC Qatar.<\/p>\n SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE<\/p>\n Don\u2019t stir the Makhachev hive.<\/p>\n Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul; Dec. 19<\/p>\n Gable Steveson (1-0) vs. Jake Hein (2-1); Anthony Pettis FC 21, Nov. 23<\/p>\n Sure, one could argue its bad luck that JDM had to fight Makhachev, but it was also a huge opportunity for him to instantly cement himself as one of the UFC\u2019s premier stars. Let\u2019s also remember that JDM was the beneficiary of great luck when he ended up stumbling into the Belal Muhammad title fight in the first place (and subsequently took care of business!).<\/p>\n If you find something you\u2019d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee<\/a> or @JedKMeshew<\/a> on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, and like us on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n