The UFC heads to the Sphere for an event headlined by Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title in a few weeks. Unfortunately, boxer Canelo Alvarez’s team recently announced a fight on the same night which seems to have not gone down well with White. O’Malley however welcomes the challenge.
O’Malley and his coach Tim Welch have a weekly podcast where they share their thoughts on all the recent updates in the world of MMA.
In their latest episode the duo addressed the issue of Alvarez having an event on the same night as them. ‘Suga’ seemed confident of faring well against a boxing champion of much renown. He talked about the competition and hyped himself up with giddy excitement.
“Are they talking about Canelo, are they talking about the boxing fight, or are they talking about the absolute dominating, beautiful, masterful, masterclass performance I put on Merab and the viral knockout that came with it or are they talking about a 36 minute Canelo boxing fight that was kind of fire. That’s what excites me.”
Sean O’Malley eager to see if he can steal the spotlight from Canelo Alvarez who both fight on a stacked weekend of Combat Sports
“When it comes to Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, who are they talking about. Are they talking about Canelo, are they talking about the… pic.twitter.com/pADPqjED09
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 12, 2024
The bantamweight champion feels that the ultimate measure of who won the head-to-head will be who steals all the headlines on Monday. According to ‘Suga’ it will be him given what he plans on doing to Dvalishvili.
However, it will be easier said than done given it is Mexican independence day weekend and Alvarez has had a tradition of fighting on the independence day weekend. Besides, UFC Sphere tickets are expected to be super expensive, while boxing fights just aren’t!
But, despite the huge task in front of them, Dana White and Sean O’Malley are raring to go.
Dana White blasts MGM for disrespect
White and his team have a lot on the line for their event at the Sphere. For starters, the company will have shelled out upwards of $20 million on just one event.
In addition to this, they face competition from one of the biggest names in boxing. White recently bashed MGM for setting up a fight on the same night and constantly disrespecting the UFC for the past 20-years.
He welcomed the challenge head on saying, “It is what it is. Here we go.”
White was also backed by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season is a major sponsor of the event and he said, they will eat him (Alvarez) alive.
However only time will tell who emerges victorious in his ferocious head to head.