Bantamweight king Sean O’Malley has big aspirations in his career, and part of that is to reach the same success Conor McGregor has. To do that, however, the champ must first redeem himself from the only loss he has that Marlon Vera gave to him.
O’Malley and Vera will be facing each other again on March 9 at UFC 299. It will be a huge moment for both fighters, with Vera getting the chance to steal the belt from the opponent while it would be O’Malley’s opportunity to prove his power and negate the former loss he gained from the opponent.
To recall, the two first fought in August 2020. The bout ended with a first-round TKO stoppage from Vera, with O’Malley sustaining a leg injury. For the champ, this is not an authentic victory and just pure luck on Vera’s side. To this day, “Sugar” continues to deny it is a legitimate win for the rival. As such, with their fight approaching, the champion can’t help but feel the thrill of anticipation in proving to the world that he’s really an undefeated fighter.
“I was whooping his ass,” O’Malley told ESPN. “He got lucky. That’s how I’ve felt ever since that fight happened. And I do believe truly, and he’ll never admit it, but he knows how lucky he got that night. But it worked out good. Here we are. I’m defending (my title). I get pay-per-view points. There’s a story behind it. It makes it that much bigger. It’s bigger than anybody else in the division. So the fact that happened August 2020, and I win the belt August 2023, it was three years later, so the fight is the one that makes the most sense. I’m very excited. I’ve never been this excited for a fight. There’s something extra on this one.”
After defeating Vera, the 29-year-old hopes to push himself and his career further to become the biggest star not only in combat sports but also in the entire sports industry. For O’Malley, despite acknowledging the idea as “silly,” he would love to reach the same level as McGregor, who is considered an icon in the business and UFC’s former PPV star.
“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,” O’Malley shared. “I think (if) I go out there and put two beautiful performances together (in 2024), I will be as big as Conor (McGregor). UFC has grown 40, 50 percent since Conor was really in his prime. COVID really boosted the UFC, so I had more opportunities to go out there and be a star. When I say that, people say, ‘Oh, you want to be like Conor.’ He’s the biggest star in combat sports. Of course I want to be like him. When people say that, it sounds a little silly.”
