Rising bantamweight star Sean O’Malley is set to make his highly anticipated return to the octagon on March 7th at UFC 248.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended O’Malley for 9 months in what was his 2nd positive drug test. However any suspension the commission issues is retroactive to the original date of the positive test. He tested positive in May 25th of 2019 clearing way for his return anytime after February 26th, 2020.
Along with serving the suspension, O’Malley will have to pay prosecution fees until his ban is officially lifted. He is expected to pay these fines. Along with the fees, O’Malley is subject to tests in the weeks leading up to the fight week. His return is expected at UFC 248 against Jose Quinonez.
O’Malley has struggled with drug tests in his career. He was originally suspended in September of 2018 testing positive for ostorine before the originally scheduled bout against Quinonez. He then underwent hip surgery while serving his suspension until March of 2019. Again, O’Malley was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and USADA before a bout at UFC 239 against Marlon Vera.
25-year-old O’Malley fighting out of MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona will step into the ring for the 1st time in more than 2 years. He first featured on The Ultimate Fighter before making his UFC debut. His last victory came against Andre Soukhamthouth at UFC 222 in March of 2018. He is highly regarded as one of the rising stars in the bantamweight division and in 2019 ESPN ranked him the #2 top prospect fighter under the age of 25.