UFC President Dana White doesn’t think it’s time for Sean O’Malley to fight top-ranked opponents.
O’Malley is perhaps the most popular bantamweight in the UFC. He’s 6-1 in the UFC and has four knockout victories inside the Octagon. Despite this, the “Sugar” show is nowhere to be found in the official 135-pound rankings.
Dana White Gets Real With Sean O’Malley
During an interview with Barstool Sports, Dana explained why he hasn’t given Sean O’Malley stiff competition and what makes “Sugar” different from a rising star such as Khamzat Chimaev (h/t MMAFighting.com).
“He’s not ready. You guys wanna throw him to the wolves. You don’t move somebody that fast unless they’re Khamzat Chimaev. Khamzat is a guy you’ll feel comfortable moving that fast. I mean, O’Malley just lost a couple of fights ago to (Marlon Vera). So, talking about bigger fights and all that sh*t, this is a tough fight for him on Saturday night. In his last fight, he looked incredible, he put on a clinic. I think because O’Malley’s so popular and whatever, you’re always gonna have the critics that give this kid sh*t.”
The loss Dana is referring to took place back in Aug. 2020. Marlon “Chito” Vera stopped O’Malley via first-round TKO. O’Malley has insisted that he doesn’t consider it a real loss due to a leg injury he suffered during the fight.
While Dana may not think that O’Malley is ready, that hasn’t stopped “Sugar” from targeting top names. During the final UFC 269 pre-fight press conference, O’Malley traded barbs with former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt. The two had to be separated by security.
O’Malley will need to keep his attention on Raulian Paiva. The two will collide this Saturday night (Dec. 11) on the UFC 269 card. It’ll serve as the main card opener. Garbrandt will also be on the main card as he’ll meet Kai Kara-France in a flyweight scrap.