UFC champion Sean O’Malley hopes to become “the biggest star in sports – not just combat sports” by the year 2024. Will he be able to make it the campaign worth remembering for everyone? What are his plans for the campaign? Continue reading to find out!
Since making his debut in 2017 on Dana White’s Contender Series, where O’Malley earned a UFC contract by Snoop Dogg yelling his name, he has been regarded as having superstar potential in the fighting game.
His ascent to the title of UFC bantamweight Champion has been steady and strong, and now that he has the gold, he believes it’s time to take things to the next level.
At UFC 299, which takes place at the Kaseya Centre in Miami, on March 9, O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) will defend his title against Marlon Vera (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC) in a rematch.
He believes he is ready to ascend to the next level of fame, which is presently held by only former two-division champion Conor McGregor if he takes advantage of the opportunity to exact revenge on the lone defeat on his record and then adds another defense in the second half of the season.
O’Malley expressed his desire to achieve another notable victory by the end of the year and his aspiration to become the biggest star in sports, not limited to combat sports. In an interview with Megan Olivi for ESPN, he mentioned that if he could deliver two impressive performances in 2024, he believed he could attain a level of fame comparable to Conor McGregor. O’Malley acknowledged that the UFC had experienced significant growth, around 40 to 50 percent since McGregor’s prime, with the added boost from COVID. He highlighted that this growth provided him with more opportunities to establish himself as a star. Despite acknowledging the inevitable comparisons to Conor McGregor, O’Malley emphasized that aspiring to be like him made sense since McGregor is widely recognized as the biggest star in combat sports.
The 29-year-old O’Malley can be just as spectacular in the octagon as the Irishman, even though he doesn’t have the same level of skill with a microphone or trash talk as McGregor. O’Malley already has a long list of impressive knockout victories under his belt, and if he continues to perform well, it will only increase the likelihood that mainstream fans will take notice of him.
And the whole backstory for his next fight is there. When O’Malley kicked Vera early in the opening round of their first encounter at UFC 252 in August 2020, he hurt his foot. It weakened him, and “Chito” capitalized by throwing hard blows on his way to a ground-and-pound TKO finish; however, O’Malley has since denied that it was a real win.
At UFC 299, O’Malley, who is ranked #1 in the most recent USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, will have the opportunity to demonstrate that he is the best fighter the UFC can put on at 135 pounds when he takes on No. 6 Vera.
O’Malley stated that he had been dominating his opponent during the fight and believed that his opponent got lucky. He expressed this belief since the fight occurred. Despite the perceived stroke of luck, O’Malley acknowledged that things worked out well. He is currently defending his title and receiving pay-per-view points, with the fight gaining significance due to its backstory, making it bigger than any other bout in the division. O’Malley noted that the fight took place in August 2020, and he won the belt in August 2023, marking three years later. Consequently, he emphasized that this particular fight holds special significance for him, and he expressed heightened excitement, stating, “I’ve never been this excited for a fight. There’s something extra on this one.”
What will be the result of this campaign? Will it be the campaign of this year? Let us know about your thoughts in the comment section!
