The Sugar Show is back!
Two years plus a couple of days since his last appearance, O’Malley makes his long-awaited, oft-delayed return to the cage this weekend, squaring off with Jose Quinonez in the final preliminary card bout of the evening. A perfect 10-0 in his career and 2-0 in the UFC since his breakthrough performance on the first season of the Contender Series, the 25-year-old Montana native is considered by many to be one of the top prospects in the sport and a lead-pipe cinch to be a contender in the not-too-distant future.
That’s what makes this weekend’s bout with Quinonez so perfect and such an appealing piece of Saturday’s fight card.
Find out what O’Malley has been up to since his last Octagon appearance
The 29-year-old former Ultimate Fighter Latin America finalist has gone 5-1 over his last six fights, posting wins over Diego Rivas, Teruto Ishihara, and Carlos Huachin during that stretch and developing into a proven tough out in the middle of the bantamweight pack. Quinonez is the kind of steely competitor who isn’t going to go softly into the night, so it will take a strong effort from O’Malley in order to maintain his unbeaten record and resume his climb towards contention.
O’Malley has all the markings of a future star — he’s got the look, the personality, and the obvious charisma to go along with an undefeated record and a ringing endorsement from UFC President Dana White following his show-stopping finish of Alfred Khashakyan three summers back. He looked good in each of his first two appearances — unanimous decision wins over Terrion Ware and Andre Soukhamthath — however there now are question marks hovering around him and his place in the division because of his absence and the ascendency of several other young names in the bantamweight ranks.
This is a chance for him to show that two years on the sidelines did nothing but strengthen his drive, sharpen his skills, and make him an even more impressive prospect, and given that he’s already earned a reputation for being a showman, you can be sure O’Malley is going to be looking to make a serious impression on Saturday night.
