O'Malley expected to return vs. Almeida at UFC 260
"Sugar" Sean O'Malley is expected to be back in the Octagon before the second quarter of 2021.
A bantamweight bout pitting O'Malley against Thomas Almeida is in the works for UFC 260 on March 27, he announced Tuesday. The Brazilian has verbally agreed to the contest, a source told MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz
Both fighters will be looking to bounce back, as O'Malley is coming off his first professional loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252 last August. The 26-year-old is considered one of the top prospects at 135 pounds and owns a 4-1 Octagon record.
Almeida was once considered a future contender, but the 29-year-old has largely fallen short of expectations. He's 1-4 in his last five outings and lost three straight bouts. Almeida hasn't picked up a win since knocking out Albert Morales in 2016.
UFC 260 will be headlined by a heavyweight title rematch between champion Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. It will also feature Alexander Volkanovski's second featherweight title defense against Brian Ortega in the co-main event.
The promotion hasn't announced a location for the card.