Sean O’Malley vs. Louis Smolka Targeted for UFC 264 on July 10

A bantamweight showdown pitting Sean O'Malley against Louis Smolka is in the works for UFC 264.

Multiple outlets confirmed that verbal agreements are in place for the pairing following an initial report from journalist Ryan Frederick on Twitter. UFC 264 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 10 and is headlined by a trilogy bout between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.

After suffering his first career defeat against Marlon Vera at UFC 252, O’Malley returned to the win column at UFC 260, where he defeated Thomas Almeida via third-round knockout on March 27. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum is 13-1 as a professional, with 10 victories coming inside the distance.

Smolka has been victorious in three of five Octagon appearances during his second UFC stint. Most recently, “Da Last Samurai” stopped Jose Alberto Quinonez in the second round of their bout at UFC on ESPN 19 on Dec. 5. The 29-year-old Hawaiian went 5-5 during his first go-round with the UFC, exiting the promotion on the heels of a four-bout skid at the end of 2017.