“Suga” Sean O’Malley will make his return to the octagon on July 10th to fight UFC veteran Louis Smolka. The bantamweight bout will happen at UFC 264 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
O’Malley has been in hot water recently while away from the cage. The way he handled his loss to Marlon Vera turned a lot of fans against him. Additionally, his comments regarding Megan Anderson and refusing to apologize left a sour taste in the mouth of many. However, while fans might not like to hear O’Malley talk, the proof shows that they love to watch him fight.
O’Malley vs. Smolka Announced
Perhaps now that Sean will be fighting again, the tides could turn back in his favor. O’Malley will face a veteran in Louis Smolka in a tough fight at UFC 264. The stacked card will add another feature bout, which will add additional firepower to an A-list of prominent names in MMA.
Ryan Frederick of Fight Game Media first reported the matchup.
Also I drop a little bit of news: Sean O’Malley vs Louis Smolka is scheduled to take place at UFC 264.
— Ryan Frederick (@ryanjfrederick) May 3, 2021
Sean O'Malley will fight Louis Smolka at #UFC264 on July 10th. (per @ryanjfrederick) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN pic.twitter.com/vE5xjl7LmD
— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) May 3, 2021
Tale of the Tape
Initially, fans thought that O’Malley would receive a higher-ranked opponent. Even UFC commentator Michael Bisping stated that he would like to see O’Malley face steeper competition, perhaps an opponent who is ranked.
In Sean’s last outing, he knocked out Thomas Almeida within the first round of their contest with a punch at UFC 260. Now, he’ll face a grizzled veteran in Smolka.
Smolka, aka “The Last Samurai,” has had a rocky UFC career. He worked his way to a 5-1 record in his first 6 UFC fights. Then, he hit an unfortunate four-fight losing streak that ultimately got him cut from the UFC. A year later, Smolka was able to get his job back and, since then, has won 3 out of his last five fights.
If O’Malley gets past a veteran in Smolka, the UFC will more than likely give him the ranked opponent that he and many fans have been searching for.