Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley is arguably one of the biggest names in the sport today.
Suga’s exciting fighting style, in addition to his antics on social media, has contributed immensely to his star power.
Sean O’Malley Speaks About Conor McGregor’s Level of Fame
It is no secret that O’Malley is an admirer of McGregor. On numerous occasions, the 30-year-old has showered praise on the Irishman and expressed his wish to follow a similar career path to his.
But now, O’Malley appears to believe that he will not be able to attain the level of stardom enjoyed by McGregor. “Suga” recently made an appearance on the “Full Send” podcast, where he spoke about the Irishman and how he had always dreamt of being as popular as him, but it does not seem likely at the moment.
“[Conor’s] the best. He’s the best… I always kind of put myself like, ‘I wanna be as big as Conor. I wanna do that.’ It’s like I don’t think I could be as big as Conor. He was just once in a lifetime.”
O’Malley then started talking about McGregor’s legacy inside the Octagon and opined that the MMA community will be more grateful for him in the future.
“We’ll be more grateful for Conor, I feel like, as times pass, the whole generations over, we’re older, we’ll be like, ‘Damn! Remember Conor?’ Like, I can still relate. Conor is a legend but 10 years, 15 years [later] when he’s done fighting for sure, there’s no question, we’ll be like, ‘Holy s**t! We got to witness that. He’s the Mike Tyson. He’s that guy that and we got to witness it, which is really cool.”
Sean O’Malley: I don’t think I can be as big as Conor. He was just a once in a lifetimehttps://t.co/zgvK4sGOjA pic.twitter.com/cUMLiRDnay
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 31, 2025
What’s Next for O’Malley in the UFC?
O’Malley was last seen in action in September 2024 when he competed at UFC 306. That night, he took on Merab Dvalishvili for his second bantamweight title defense. The bout headlined the card, which was held at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The night did not go well for O’Malley, as Dvalishvili used his grappling prowess to outclass him for the majority of the bout. The fight went the 25-minute distance and ended in a unanimous decision victory for “The Machine.”
Now, O’Malley has a chance to avenge that loss as he has been scheduled for a rematch with Dvalishvili. The clash will headline UFC 316, which will be held on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.