"I don't even think he needs to fight Khamzat" - Sean O'Malley names UFC middleweight contender he feels should fight for the title next

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley has weighed in on the middleweight title picture and who he feels should challenge newly crowned kingpin Dricus du Plessis first.

O'Malley spoke on his TimboSugarShow YouTube podcast and mentioned No.4-ranked contender Jared Cannonier as his pick for the next middleweight challenger. He mentioned Cannonier's interest in fighting Khamzat Chimaev and dismissed it as a prerequisite to warrant a title shot.

O'Malley cited Cannonier's previous win against Sean Strickland, who was recently dethroned at UFC 297, and his five-round battle against Israel Adesanya for the title at UFC 276.

'Sugar' said:

“Jared Cannonier wants Khamzat [Chimaev] next, I like that fight. Jared needs a big fight. Jared earns a big fight. Jared’s scary. Well, DDP [du Plessis] is the champ, it’s not Sean Strickland. Jared, I don’t even think he needs to fight Khamzat [Chimaev]. I think he should fight DDP next. He beat Sean Strickland, obviously not champ anymore but you could have gave it to him last time. He had a close fight with Izzy [Adesanya], I think, I don’t remember actually.”

Check out Sean O'Malley's full comments below (17:53):

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Sean O'Malley wants to shock people by finishing Marlon Vera

Sean O'Malley will defend his bantamweight title for the first time against No.6-ranked contender Marlon Vera at UFC 299. The pair will headline the pay-per-view on March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.

'Chito' remains the only fighter to have defeated O'Malley in the UFC octagon since the champ's debut in 2017. Vera finished 'Sugar' in the first round of their UFC 252 matchup.

O'Malley discussed the fight in an interview with Helen Yee on her YouTube and made mention of Vera's record of never being finished despite losing eight times in his professional career. The bantamweight champion promised to enthrall fans with his performance and potentially an "extra special" knockout.

O'Malley said:

“There’s a possibility it does [go the distance]. He’s never been submitted, never been knocked out. He’s very, very durable. I just truly, truly believe that I’m on another level and going to bring a level of performance that the UFC has never even seen. I think I’m gonna hit a level that people will be shocked at, and I’m gonna put on a masterful, beautiful performance... We’ve seen ‘Aljo’ get knocked out, but we’ve just never seen ‘Chito’ get finished. That would be extra special.”

Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below (1:58):