Daniel Cormier pitches a fresh challenge for Sean O’Malley’s UFC comeback fight after losing the bantamweight title

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has an idea for who Sean O’Malley should face in his return to the Octagon for the first time since losing the bantamweight title.

Sean O’Malley lost to Merab Dvalishvili in the UFC 306 main event, bringing an abrupt end to the ‘Suga Show”s reign over the UFC’s most-stacked division. He lost by unanimous decision to Dvalishvili, despite claiming in the days after that he felt he deserved the nod on the judges’ scorecards.

O’Malley is in the middle of some downtime away from the Octagon after having surgery done on his hip immediately after UFC 306. But, he’s teased a return to the cage in recent weeks, particularly for a potential rematch with Dvalishvili in 2025.

O’Malley has cemented himself into a pay-per-view star during his career, and regardless of who he fights, many eyes will be tuned in to his Octagon appearances. Cormier believes a fight with a former champ would be enough for O’Malley to make the case for another title shot with a victory.

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Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCDaniel Cormier pitched Sean O’Malley vs. Henry Cejudo for 2025In a recent episode of Good Guy/Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen, Cormier pitched O’Malley vs. Cejudo. Cormier also put some potential Top 10 matchups together, including who Dvalishvili should face for his first title defense.

Cormier’s matchmaking (UFC rankings as of November 25th, 2024):

Merab Dvalishvili (C) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (#2)Deiveson Figueiredo (#5) vs. Dominick Cruz (NR)Cory Sandhagen (#4) vs. Petr Yan 2 (#3) Sean O’Malley (#1) vs. Henry Cejudo (#7)Marlon Vera (#6) vs. Mario Bautista (#10)Dvalishvili appeared to offer Petr Yan a title shot following Yan’s win over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Macau. Umar Nurmagomedov, who most believe deserves the next title shot, blasted Dvalishvili on social media in response.

Cejudo hasn’t fought since a loss to Dvalishvili at UFC 298 by unanimous decision. He’s 0-2 since ending his UFC retirement last year.

O’Malley and Cejudo have gone back and forth online for years. During a brief appearance on Cejudo’s podcast with Kamaru Usman, O’Malley fired a brutal shot at Cejudo before departing.

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Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesSean O’Malley returned to training this week after recovery from hip surgeryO’Malley returned to the gym this week as he prepares for his UFC return. He could potentially get a fight booked in the coming weeks for the first quarter of 2025, although his desired timeline for another fight is uncertain.

Before losing to Dvalishvili at UFC 306, O’Malley earned recent wins over Aljamain Sterling, Marlon Vera, and Yan. The loss snapped a seven-fight unbeaten streak.

Cejudo, like O’Malley, is looking to go on a redemption tour and reclaim the bantamweight throne. His last win came against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in his lone bantamweight title defense before retiring.

Cormier believes O’Malley vs. Cejudo is the fight to make as both former champs look to get back to the top of the bantamweight division.

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