Sean O’Malley, the current bantamweight champ, has a refreshingly honest take on how he started his fighting career. He recently admitted that his initial motivation was pretty straightforward—he wanted to impress the ladies. But what began as a way to gain some cool points soon turned into a genuine passion.
O’Malley fell head over heels for the sport, and now, it’s more than just a hobby; it’s his career. It’s a classic case of turning a casual interest into a full-blown love affair. Ahead of his second title defence, the bantamweight champion sat down with Nina Drama to answer some non-fight related questions.
During their interview, Drama asked O’Malley how he picked up the sport of MMA. The 29-year-old was brutally honest and said,
“I started fighting when I think I was going into either freshman year, and that was pretty much the thought process behind it. I would assume chicks like fighting. Give myself some confidence going into high school. Not be scared or anything of anybody. That was kind of the initial reason behind starting.”
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O’Malley added that he initially wanted to get into the NFL. However, he was extremely small in size compared to the other people his age. Therefore, he quickly understood that he would not be able to cut it out in football. And that’s when someone told him about weight classes in combat sports.
When ‘Suga’ realized that there are weight classes in fighting, he believed that he had more of a chance there than he did on the gridiron. So O’Malley switched over while also hoping that it would win him some cool points with the ladies.
Needless to say, the switch has worked out very well for the bantamweight champion who believes he will be the future of the promotion soon.
O’Malley aims to dethrone Conor McGregor
After months of waiting, it was finally announced that Michael Chandler has moved on from the McGregor fight. ‘The Notorious’ will now face someone else on his return if and when it takes place. Maybe Dustin Poirier wants some dough before he calls it a day. Who knows? Exciting times lay ahead.
However, to his credit, O’Malley recently claimed that Conor McGregor is envious of his current spot in the UFC and wishes he could swap places. When asked if he thinks the UFC’s focus on McGregor will fade as he, O’Malley, becomes a bigger star, O’Malley wasn’t shy to admit it is what it is.
Right now, O’Malley is setting his sights on surpassing Conor McGregor’s records. And he is doing a fairly good job in matters that take place inside the octagon. He feels he’s in a position to achieve what McGregor once was and still aspires to be.
While McGregor could certainly make a splash by returning to fight someone anyone and still pull in huge pay-per-view numbers, O’Malley is confident that his time is now.
