Following his UFC 306 loss to Merab Dvalishvili, former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley revealed that he needed hip surgery. “Suga” will go under the knife on Oct. 3
“I have surgery October 3rd. I’m excited about the whole (thing). I just kind of mentally accepted it,” O’Malley said The Timbo Suga Show. “I just mentally accepted, alright, we’re going to go through surgery. Go through recovery and just get ‘er done. I’m actually really f**king excited because it’s been bothering me.”
“I’m going to take two, three months of full just physically therapy. Recovery like a f**king pro. Eat good. Sleep good,” O’Malley continued. “I’m excited. (I’m) 29. By the time I fight again I’ll be 30. I think 30 to 35 I’ll be in my prime. We’ve got a lot of years left and big fights.”
O’Malley will have the labrum in his hip repaired and will be out of action for an extended period of time. He’ll be on crutches for two to six weeks followed by physical therapy. It could take up to six months for O’Malley to fully recover.
Related: Sean O’Malley’s coach reveals severity of hip injury
Anticipating the landscape of the division changing over the next year, O’Malley isn’t thinking about opponents or his next fight. He’s focused on healing.
“It’s fun to think about. ‘I could fight him. I could fight him.; But it’s like, in a year, nine months, or whatever it is when I come around to fight again, who’s going to be relevant, who’s going to be in the right spot, who’s going to be champ, so it’s pointless to think who is next right now,” O’Malley said.
“I almost don’t even want to think about that, or think about fighting. Just literally focus on the family, focus on healing, and just get back. Get back better than ever.”