Sean O'Malley to Undergo Hip Surgery
Sean O'Malley to Undergo Hip Surgery
By Tim Burke September 18, 2024 16:58
Sean O'Malley announced on his podcast, The Timbo and Sugar Show that he would be undergoing surgery on his hip as he tore his left labrum on his hip ten weeks before his fight with Merab Dvalishvili at the Sphere.
"I probably won't fight for nine months, ten months, maybe a year. It's going to be a while. People are going to have to watch the UFC without the Sugar show for a bit." O'Malley told the listeners of this week's Timbo and Sugar Show Podcast episode.
The injury news does not come as a surprise. O'Malley is typically one of the most dynamic and explosive athletes, but they did not look like the Sean O'Malley we have grown accustomed to watching over the years.
"He looked flat. He didn't look sharp. He didn't look crisp. I don't know if he just got in there tonight and fell flat. Some nights it just is what it is." - Dana White told reporters following Noche UFC.
Despite his injury, O'Malley was honest about his poor performance at the Sphere.
"I just got beat. Everyone keeps asking me that. Something seemed off. You were flatfooted, and it's like there were nothing. Zero excuses," O'Malley told his fans on his YouTube channel on Monday.
O'Malley does have experience fighting injured. He dealt with a rib injury in the lead-up to UFC 292, which left him unable to grapple in training camp. The "Sugar Show" was elusive and dynamic that night, knocking out Aljamain Sterling to become the Bantamweight champion.
O'Malley's performance on Saturday may be a testament to how good Merab Dvalishvili is.
"I made Sean O'Malley look normal," Merab told reporters at the Noche UFC post-fight press Conference.
O'Malley's injury has left many fans frustrated, especially those who had bet on him to win the fight. This has raised serious questions about how O'Malley was medically cleared to enter the Octagon on September 14th, casting a shadow of doubt on the UFC's medical procedures. Dana White put those doubts to rest.
"You can't. If these guys come in and they have something that we don't know- I mean, how would the doctors check for a torn labrum? You know what I mean? You can't." White told reporters in reponse to concerns about the UFC's medical procedures
Nobody will never fully know to what extent O'Malley's torn labrum affected him during his fight with Merab Dvalishvili. The fact is Merab Dvalishvili was the better stronger fighter that night.
"You can take the belt from me, but you can't take the champ outta me. Not necessarily proud of my performance but proud of my mindset. Going to get healthy and work on some things. Love you guys, love this sport, love the UFC. I'll be back." O'Malley captioned his most recent Instagram post.
In 2025, we will witness Sean O'Malley's attempt to do what only the greatest fighters of all time have done-come back from adversity.