Sean O’Malley, the former UFC bantamweight champion, recently opened up about a personal struggle that shaped his career. Speaking on the “Between Rounds” podcast, he revealed how his admiration for Conor McGregor led him to stray from his authentic self. This reflection comes after his rematch loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316 on June 7, 2025, in Newark, New Jersey, where he failed to reclaim the title.
O’Malley’s Battle to Find Himself
O’Malley looked up to McGregor, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, for his unshakable confidence and fight predictions.
“One hundred percent (I viewed McGregor as a role model),” he said. “The way he carried himself into fights, the confidence to say what he thought was going to happen – ‘I’m going to knock this dude out in Round 2.’ I got a lot out of that. I was like, ‘OK, I can be confident like that.’ I feel like I got lost, almost, in a sense, where I wanted to be like Conor too much instead of being like myself.”
The pressure to create a spectacle for his first fight against Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in September 2024 pushed O’Malley to fake a rivalry.
“That was my second title defense, and I was like, ‘I want this to be big,’” he explained. “I didn’t feel like it was big. I didn’t feel like Merab was a big name. I had to force it. It was at The Sphere. I felt like I had to create something and I didn’t like how that made me feel, in a sense, because I didn’t hate Merab. I would have loved to knock him out. … I feel like I made that one too personal, and I didn’t like that – but that kind of the only time I really forced anything. The ‘Chito’ beef I felt was real. I didn’t like that. That was a real one, but the Merab one I feel like I forced a little bit.”
O’Malley also recognized the UFC’s need for entertainment.
“I do think there’s an entertainment aspect that UFC people need to kinda do to become a superstar,” he said. “You gotta be yourself, and then you can add on to that a little bit. Yeah, finding that balance. There’s not someone there to teach you. There’s not a book.” via MMA Junkie
O’Malley earned his UFC spot in 2017 with a knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series. His striking flair, like the spinning wheel kick that stopped Eddie Wineland at UFC 250 in June 2020, made him a fan favorite. A leg injury against Marlon Vera in August 2020 handed him his first loss, but he recovered with wins over Thomas Almeida, Kris Moutinho, and Raulian Paiva.
In 2022, O’Malley took on Petr Yan at UFC 280, earning a controversial split decision that boosted his profile. He seized the bantamweight title at UFC 292 in August 2023, dropping Aljamain Sterling with a clean counter. His title defense at UFC 299 in March 2024 was a masterclass, as he outpointed Vera to settle their rivalry.
The losses to Dvalishvili at UFC 306 and UFC 316, the latter via a North-South neck crank submission, tested O’Malley. After the first defeat, he had surgery for a torn labrum and ditched social media to prioritize his newborn son and training. “I caught myself scrolling Instagram while driving,” he shared in another interview. “Now I’m more focused on my family and my craft.”
O’Malley’s bond with McGregor had tension, sparked by a 2024 social media spat over O’Malley’s 2019 ostarine test. They’ve since reconciled, with McGregor commending O’Malley’s mindset before UFC 316, drawing parallels to his own 2016 rematch with Nate Diaz. “I’ll always respect Conor,” O’Malley said. “His rise in my generation was unreal.”
With a record of 18-3 and 10 UFC victories, O’Malley is now centered on being himself. He’s honed his grappling to address gaps shown in the Dvalishvili fights and embraced a simpler life. “Things are slower now, in a good way,” he said, valuing his time with loved ones.
