Sean O’Malley has grabbed the attention of the world, but being popular comes with its own share of criticism from fellow fighters and fans alike.
Sean O’Malley is already a superstar in his own right despite not being a ranked fighter. Many believe he is the next big thing and could reach the popularity height of perhaps Conor McGregor. His flashy style, whether it’s his dress sense or his fighting style inside the Octagon, has caught the attention of the world. Not to mention, his highlight-reel knockouts, including spinning kicks and one-punch KO power have made him a must-watch fight whenever “The Suga Show” is in town.
During O’Malley’s UFC 264 media day scrum, “Suga” was asked why other fighters have a tendency to criticize him or call him out, O’Malley shared his theory.
“Jealous,” O’Malley said. “I think a lot of fighters don’t get the attention I get. I’m putting on beautiful performances. It comes down to the knockouts, really. I mean, going back to the Alfred (Khashakyan) knockout, even before I was in the UFC when I fought David Nuzzo, that knockout went viral. It comes down to the performances. People are attracted to that, I think, and then the outfits even. It’s just little things that get attention.”
O’Malley Believes His Fans Are Just As Excited For His UFC 264 Fight As McGregor’s
O’Malley competes this weekend on possibly the biggest card he will fight on with Conor McGregor headlining the event at UFC 264. Originally set to face Louis Smolka, the 26-year-old now faces a late replacement fighter in Kris Moutinho, and you best believe O’Malley will be fishing for the knockout finish as soon as the bell rings. It isn’t the most high-profile name that the bantamweight fighter would have hoped for, but it’s another opportunity for O’Malley to add to his already impressive highlight-reel knockouts.
Many fighters and the general MMA community criticized O’Malley for fighting a UFC debutant in Moutinho, but O’Malley assured the press that everyone was still going to tune in to his fight no matter what.
“Even though I’m fighting Kris, who’s never been in the UFC, it’s still gonna do huge numbers,” said O’Malley. “There’s still gonna be a ton of people watching this fight, a ton of people that are excited for this fight. I feel like my fan base is just as excited for my fight as they are the trilogy: Conor vs. Dustin, which is insane.”
Despite all the fame and success that has come upon the 26-year old, it seems that O’Malley has still so much to show in his career. Many people forget that he is still unranked in the bantamweight division and has not yet faced the best of the best. The sky is the limit for O’Malley, and it will be interesting to see what he will go on to accomplish in the sport of MMA when it’s all said and done.
Do you believe other fighters are jealous of Sean O’Malley’s popularity?
