Conor McGregor rose to fame in the UFC by being one of the most accurate strikers the sport has ever seen. ‘The Notorious’ did not have the strongest punch, but what he did have was the ability to land a punch at the perfect time. In the words of McGregor himself, “Precision beats power and timing beats speed”. There have been many fighters since who claim to be as good as McGregor. UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley recently explained why he believes he is way better than McGregor when it comes to striking.
‘Sugar’ recently joined Patrick Bet-David on his podcast ahead of his first title defense this weekend. During the podcast, Bet-David asked O’Malley to share his thoughts about his striking skills and how he feels he stacks up against McGregor. O’Malley replied, saying,
“I think I have better skills, I can stand southpaw, orthodox and have very good defence.. I think I have the best striking in MMA hands down. Conor at his prime at 145 (pounds) when he knocked out Jose Aldo. Me moving up to 145 (pounds, I’d still be a little lighter, but I am taller. I believe I am faster. I think it would be a competitive fight… Yeah, I got him (McGregor).”
O’Malley has secured 12 of his 17 wins via knockout, which is an impressive finish rate of 71%. When it comes to striking, O’Malley lands an impressive 7.25 significant strikes per minute. In comparison to Conor McGregor, that number is 5.32. Defensively, ‘Sugar’ is also pretty sound, absorbing just 3.51 significant strikes every minute compared to 4.66 for Conor McGregor.
Sean O’Malley wishes to follow in the footsteps of Conor McGregor
O’Malley has his sights set on being the biggest star in the sport. In a recent interview, he stated that he wants to follow McGregor’s footsteps and make nine figures for a fight. UFC 299 will be the first time ‘Sugar’ heads a PPV card.
It will be a brilliant litmus test for the UFC as well as O’Malley to see just how big of a star he is. This will also be the first time that O’Malley gets a share of PPVs as he is the champion. While he might not earn nine figures just yet, O’Malley will out-earn most fighters in the UFC.
