UFC bantamweight champion O’Malley believes he is on the verge of becoming the biggest UFC star in history.
O’Malley will return to the cage for what is arguably his toughest fight to date. He will be making a second title defense again, Merab Davalishvili, at UFC 306 in Las Vegas Sphere this Saturday. The fight is garnering a lot of attention and might just take both fighters’ careers to a whole new level.
Merab is on a ten-fight winning streak and plans to make an example of ‘Suga.’ However, the former YouTuber is eager for the showdown and plans to knock out his opponent in the fight. O’Malley’s rise in the MMA world has been quite a shock to many, as he has surpassed all limits many thought were impossible. The fighter believes his new rise may even surpass Irishman Conor McGregor, who hasn’t fought in the last three years.
McGregor is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in MMA and has raised a lot of money for the UFC promotion. Unfortunately, the fighter suffered a broken leg in his last bout, which has led to his MIA status for years now. The fighter was supposed to make a comeback this year to face Michael Chandler, but he suffered another injury and had to pull out.
Many fans and fighters believe ‘The Notorious’ may not make it into the cage again. However others, like O’Malley, have a different opinion. O’Malley disclosed that he believes McGregor may be one of the biggest draw and talent in the UFC, but if the Irishman loses his next fight, it may spell doom for him.
“I think I’m very close.” O’Malley said about becoming the biggest star in the UFC during UFC 306 media day on Wednesday. “I think Conor’s still got one more big fight in him because of the big question mark — can Conor come back, can he actually beat [Michael] Chandler? So I think Conor’s got one more huge fight.”
“If he goes out there and loses his next fight, it will be like six in a row,” O’Malley said. “It’s got to die down eventually. Maybe not. That just tests how big of a star he is, but I would assume he goes out there, he loses, I’m there. I’m the guy. I’m the No. 1.”
The 36-year-old fighter may still qualify for the crown, but his past inactivity has left fans hesitant. UFC CEO Dana White has revealed that McGregor will not be fighting until 2025. Many are hopeful that this prediction will come to fruition.
“I bring fights,” O’Malley said when differentiating himself from McGregor. “I fight. Often. I think that’s what it is right now.
“Conor was good on the mic, the accent, the words that he chose, he was very good on the mic. Performances, he had a couple good performances, but I’m just consistent right now. I’m fighting a lot. That’s what I bring.”
The two fighters have been known to trade comments, with O’Malley challenging McGregor to a fight. O’Malley and McGregor are by far the flashiest fighters at the promotion. Despite McGregor being out of the fight for a long time, fans are still eager to see the Irishman fight.
Until then, O’Malley has promised to keep showing up and showing out, as he has promised to deliver a spectacular finish at his next bout. He reiterates that his successive win will earn him a POFN bonus and cement him as the new face of UFC.
“It could be first [round], could be second,” O’Malley predicted for his finish at UFC 306. “I could knock out Merab first, second, third, fourth, or fifth. But I am leaning towards the second a little bit.”
