Sean O’Malley, regardless of the outcome of his fight against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, would’ve taken time off to get hip surgery. The injury had been bothering the former bantamweight kingpin for quite some time, and he’s unlikely to make his UFC return for at least a year now.
MMA fighters dealing with injuries isn’t a surprise at all. Injuries mostly occur because of rigorous training or during sparring and often lead to fights getting postponed or canceled. However, unless things are too severe, most fighters admit to competing with injuries.
O’Malley recently opened up about his upcoming hip surgery and how frequently he fights with injuries…
Sean O’Malley Claims To Have ‘Mentally Accepted’ Surgery But Not The Merab Dvalishvili Loss
O’Malley, on his official YouTube channel, revealed that he’s scheduled to undergo surgery for his left labrum in his hip on October 3, 2024. When asked how often he fights with undisclosed injuries, here’ what “Suga” said:
“I mean, every time. Every time. I have surgery October 3rd. I’m excited about the whole, I just kind of mentally accepted it unlike the defeat. I just mentally accepted, alright, we’re going to f****g go through surgery. Go through recovery and just get her done.”
After reiterating that he could’ve won three rounds against Dvalishvili, O’Malley discussed the implications of his hip injury. From feeling uncomfortable doing day-to-day movements to not being able to try out new tactics in training, there are many ways it bothered him. He admitted that things are worse if a fighter is dealing with a knee, hip, or ankle injury.
The former champ also pointed out that he hasn’t been able to lift weights because of being concerned about the injury.
This explains why “Suga” aims to fully recover ahead of his UFC return. He’ll be 30 by then and considers 30-35 to be his physical prime. So, his plan for the next 12 months mostly involves eating, sleeping, and resting properly.
With his return date several months away, O’Malley doesn’t want to think of a comeback fight yet. He knows that the UFC bantamweight division is stacked with the likes of Umar Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili, Petr Yan, Cory Sandhagen, and Deiveson Figueiredo, so finding an exciting fight for his return shouldn’t be a problem.
