Sean O’Malley is already one of the biggest names in the sport but that doesn’t stop him from being ambitious. The entertainer believes if everything goes to plan, he will reach the popularity heights of the sport’s biggest superstar, Conor McGregor.
Hoping to set his plans into motion as soon as possible, the bantamweight looks to make the first defense of his title when he meets Marlon Vera in March. Not only will this be a battle between two of the very best 135ers in the world, but their history, the controversial ending to their first fight, and the intrigue of their rematch only add to the spectacle once the cage door closes.
While sitting down with Megan Olivi, Sean O’Malley spoke about his rise to the top and how everything perfectly worked out for him.
“I think the UFC did a good job with, you know, placing me in certain fights and stuff,” O’Malley said about his rise to fame. “It was a lot of knockouts. I love looking back on the highlight reel, that never gets old.”
“The narrative was like I never fight the toughest guys and then, you know, 2022, well you know, I fought Petr Yan who was ranked number one. Next fight I fight the greatest bantamweight of all time Aljo. So my last two fights kind of take that narrative away.”
“I was never turning fights down, I was just accepting the fights they offered me. So, you know, it’s worked out perfect.”
With the number of high-level opponents in his division, O’Malley detailed the main difference that may have earned Marlon Vera the title fight over them.
“Money, 100%. And it’s not even just my call. If it was my call, it would [still] be ‘Chito’, but it’s not my call, it’s the UFC’s call. The UFC picked ‘Chito’ because me versus ‘Chito’ is a bigger fight than me versus Merab [Dvalishvili] [or] me versus Cory [Sandhagen].”
“Those are big fights because I’m involved but me versus ‘Chito’, like I said, three years before I won the belt that happened. I think it’s twice as big of a fight as me versus the other people.”
Sean O’Malley then laid out his plans for the year. Hoping to fight twice, the bantamweight king believes two standout performances could put him in the same stratosphere as Conor McGregor.
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“By the end of 2024, I’d like to fight two times. ‘Chito’ obviously [in] March, I would love to go out there and put his lights out. You know, winning a decision is boring, just that doesn’t sound very exciting.”
“I mean, if it’s a war, [then] maybe. But even then it’s like, taking someone out, they’re done, they’re finished, they couldn’t continue. That’s what I want.”
“And then I would like to get another one in by the end of the year and be the biggest star in sports, not just combat sports. I think I go out there and put two beautiful performances together, I will be as big as Conor.”
“The UFC’s grown 40, 50% since Conor really was in his prime. That COVID really boosted the UFC, so I have a lot more eyeballs, a lot more opportunity to become, you know, more of a star.
“When I say stuff like that, people are always like, ‘Oh, you’re a wannabe Conor.’ He’s the biggest star in combat sports, of course, I would want to be as big as him.”
Check out Sean O’Malley’s interview with Megan Olivi below.
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/sean-omalley-lays-out-his-plans-for-2024-i-will-be-as-big-as-conor-mcgregor
