“I think my fight against Umar is a big fight,” the American told TSN. “He’s got a big name. Russian vs. Irishman, Conor vs. Khabib rematch. It’s a big fight in the long run, but he needs to come back and get a couple wins.”
“People are going to want to see it as a Conor vs Khabib fight – it’s going to be O’Malley vs Nurmagomedov. Nobody really knows this dude right now, at least the American fan base, but he’s got the potential and the skills necessary, one hundred percent. He just needs to get back in the cage and put on some spectacular performances.”
The UFC’s number eleven ranked lightweight division, Umar Nurmagomedov, was scheduled to face the number four ranked fighter, Corey Sandhagen, in August, but suffered a shoulder injury and pulled out of a bout with the American that could have been a contender fight for the Russian under certain circumstances.
Sean O’Malley took the championship belt from Aljamain Sterling three weeks ago, finishing his compatriot by technical knockout in the second round, after which he announced that he was ready to make a title defense as early as December against Marlon Vera, who suffered the only defeat of his career three years ago.