UFC bantamweight fan favorite Sean O’Malley believes that Conor McGregor is the greatest of all time.
The No. 12 ranked bantamweight will step back into the Octagon as part of the absolutely stacked UFC 280 card scheduled for October 22nd. O’Malley will see a massive leap in competition when he meets No. 1 ranked contender Petr Yan. Before facing the former UFC bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley appeared on his YouTube channel to talk about none other than the ‘Notorious’ Conor McGregor.
Discussing the Irishman’s recent sparring footage released online, O’Malley said:
“He’s never not looked sharp in his defense. He looked pretty good against Poirier until he broke his foot, which Poirier did take him down, beat his ass a little bit. He looked sharp standing up.”
Looking back at McGregor’s storied MMA career, Sean O’Malley believes that the former two-division world champion helped elevate the UFC to another level, making him the undeniable GOAT.
“It’s just crazy to look back on him. It’s like when he first got in UFC. When he first fought Dustin Poirier. It just reminded me… It shows you like, that’s why that motherf*cker is so big. Just his character at the beginning was so fun and entertaining. He’s the GOAT. Maybe not a GOAT. When it comes to skill set, it’s hard to say who’s the GOAT. Like, who’s the best, it’s hard to say.”
Sean O’Malley Has a Long Way to Go to Reach Conor McGregor Status
“When it comes to who’s the GOAT, who really blew up the sport,” O’Malley said. “Who took it to the next level? Who’s the most entertaining? Who captivated the most people? Conor is the GOAT. And not even anyone really that close. I’m coming for it. I’m trying. I think Paddy’s doing a good job at it. You know, I’ve still got years to do it and Conor’s probably getting closer to being done than anything. “
While Sean O’Malley has become one of the UFC’s biggest stars, the Montana native has a long way to go to achieve the GOAT status that he associates with Conor McGregor. Of course, ‘Sugar’ is off to a great start, sporting a professional record of 15-1, the lone loss coming to Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 252, though that loss came as the result of a leg injury.
O’Malley responded to the loss with three-straight knockouts since then and will get the chance to fully test his skills against Yan, a perennial bantamweight contender. If O’Malley defeats Yan, he will most certainly be next in line to challenge the winner of Aljamain Sterling vs. TJ Dillashaw for the bantamweight crown. It’s at that point Sean O’Malley can truly start building his legacy in pursuit of the elusive McGregor-level superstar status.
