UFC 316 is right around the corner, and the promotional activities are in full steam. To make it more engaging and intriguing, TNT Sports got Sean O’Malley on board for a short, fun video.
The Bantamweight fighter will lock horns for the title once again with the holder, Merab Dvalishvili, on Saturday. O’Malley lost to the Georgian last time they faced each other at UFC 306 in September 2024. Since the loss, O’Malley has made some drastic changes in his physical and mental regimen to become a better and more well-rounded fighter.
And, when it comes to what it takes to become an ultimate fighter, O’Malley has his own pick among UFC stars for the different attributes that make one. And while naming the fighters alongside the qualities he values in them, O’Malley ignored Conor McGregor, his idol.
In the video posted on Instagram, TNT asked the 30-year-old to pick his ‘most powerful’ fighter. Without skipping a beat, he picked the former light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.
For cardio, O’Malley admitted his rival Dvalishvili had “decent cardio” but ultimately picked Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson, who was UFC’s inaugural Flyweight champion. Johnson had defended his title for a record 11 consecutive fights.
For leg kicks, O’Malley once again picked Pereira. Meanwhile, his pick for the fighter with the highest IQ was the current undisputed heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.
Progressing to wrestling, O’Malley picked the Dagestani legend, Khabib Nurmagomedov. For the strongest chin, meanwhile, the Arizonian picked the former featherweight champion and the current BMF champion, Max Holloway.
O’Malley was then asked to give his prime pick for the fighter with the best mic skills, an important attribute since PR is as big a factor as fighting skills for a UFC star. Unsurprisingly, ‘Suga’ picked his idol McGregor. However, he quickly changed his mind to pick former UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen.
While it does seem a little curious that O’Malley would opt for someone other than McGregor, Sonnen certainly appears to be a worthy choice.
Sonnen, before retirement, had created quite a reputation for himself for being a trash talker. Despite his far-from-elite UFC record of 29-15-1, Sonnen managed to bag himself several title fights. Unfortunately, he failed to convert any of those opportunities into a title.
Sonnen’s qualities apart, O’Malley’s feud with McGregor through 2024 could also have played a significant role in him not picking the Irishman.
Is O’Malley still beefing with McGregor?
O’Malley always hailed McGregor as his inspiration and even admitted to watching his old fights to make improvements in his own technique. That was until the two had a falling out when McGregor likened O’Malley to Ryan Garcia.
This had come after Garcia’s win against Devin Haney in April 2024 was changed to a no-contest for testing positive for Ostarine, a banned substance. The comment instigated a war of words between McGregor and O’Malley, who called the Irishman a ‘dork’.
“I thought it was good for a while,” O’Malley said in an interview with ESPN.
“I would do something good, and he would kind of say, ‘Yeah, I look good,’ something like that. He never wanted to give me that praise. It’s almost because you go back to all my interviews like ‘I want to be like Conor, I want to do what Conor did, I want to do what Conor did’,” he added.
O’Malley went as far as dubbing McGregor ‘jealous’ of his recent success. “Now, I’m 29, defended the belt – something he [McGregor] has never done by the way – and I just feel pure jealousy from it,” he said.
“It’s really weird because times change. He’s a little bit older now, he’s on a two-fight losing streak, [and] he just pulled out because of his toe, which is just not Conor-like. I feel a lot of jealousy from Conor McGregor, to be honest, which sucks,” concluded the former bantamweight champion.
The duo seems to have buried the hatchet, though. McGregor recently admitted to being “very excited” for O’Malley’s rematch with Dvalishvili. O’Malley responded with a “Hell yeah, I’ll take it,” and said he was “pumped” that their relationship was good again.
