Sean O’Malley is preparing for a lengthy break from the Octagon, as he’s set to undergo hip surgery early next month. The 29-year-old former champ suffered a torn labrum in his hip 10 weeks ago but pushed through the injury during his fight camp to face Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in Las Vegas. O’Malley (18-2) lost his bantamweight title to Dvalishvili via unanimous decision. Surgery is scheduled for October 3, and his return could be delayed anywhere from six months to a full year.
“I have surgery on Oct. 3,” O’Malley told streamer Adin Ross. “I tore my left labrum in my hip. That’s the only reason I’m going to be out for so long.” While he expects the surgery to take about two months to recover from, the full timeline for his return is uncertain.
On his podcast with coach Tim Welsh, O’Malley emphasized that the injury wasn’t a factor in his loss to Dvalishvili, where he was out-struck 214 to 49 and struggled against Dvalishvili’s dominant ground game. “Best weight cut, felt good, no excuses,” O’Malley said.
In the meantime, contenders like Cory Sandhagen and Henry Cejudo have already called him out, while Dvalishvili is expected to face Umar Nurmagomedov for his first title defense.
—
Photo Credit: BoJack / Shutterstock.com