T.J. Dillashaw believes Sean O’Malley is ahead of Umar Nurmagomedov in the bantamweight title race.
Both O’Malley (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) and Nurmagomedov (20-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) picked up important wins at UFC 324 last Saturday. O’Malley edged Song Yadong in a closely contested bout on the main card, while Nurmagomedov cruised to an impressive unanimous decision victory over flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo in the featured preliminary bout.
Both men had been treading water in the division following losses to then-champion Merab Dvalishvili (21-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in 2025. However, with the Georgian having since been dethroned by Petr Yan (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) at UFC 323 in December, the title picture has grown far more intriguing as the promotion enters 2026.
The former UFC bantamweight champion believes Nurmagomedov may have a steep climb ahead if he hopes to overtake O’Malley in the race to challenge Yan.
“He's got to get some more wins, right?” Dillashaw said of Nurmagomedov during an appearance this week on the JAXXON Podcast. “I think he's got to do it in an impressive fashion, because we know probably O'Malley is going to get the title shot, because I'd imagine Merab's going to probably take a little bit of time (off). I bet that's what's going to happen.”
O’Malley held the bantamweight title for just over a year before suffering his first loss to Dvalishvili at the Sphere in Las Vegas in September 2024. He faced “The Machine” again upon his return at UFC 316 last June but was submitted in the third round.
Saturday’s victory over Yadong marked his first win in nearly two years. Despite recent results not going his way, Dillashaw believes that “Suga’s” star power sets him apart from the rest of the contenders at 135 pounds.
“You know, you got a superstar at O'Malley and people want to watch him fight,” Dillashaw said. “So again, it's not about what you do in the cage. What I'm saying about Umar is that O'Malley's win wasn't super impressive, right? It was good. He did a great job, and he got the win. But he's getting a good title shot because of his star power. Something to call home about.
“Umar doesn't have the star power that O'Malley has, so if you don't have that star power, you better show it in the cage. You better go out there looking to demoralize someone and get the finish and be like, 'Oh sh**, we can't not give Umar the fight.”
