Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley says ‘dork’ Conor McGregor is still face of the UFC
Sean O’Malley still views Conor McGregor as the face of the UFC, even if he thinks the former champ-champ is a “dork.”
O’Malley and McGregor had been cordial with one another before the “Notorious” one ended up taking a dig at the “Suga” show on social media. This led to the UFC Bantamweight Champion firing back at McGregor.
Despite the recent banter, O’Malley still has respect for “Mystic Mac” even though the two may not be on the best of terms going forward.
Sean O’Malley Won’t Deny Conor McGregor’s Popularity, Still Calls Him a “Dork”
During an interview with ESPN, Sean O’Malley discussed him possibly being the biggest star representing UFC. The 135-pound kingpin admitted he thinks that distinction still belongs to Conor McGregor (via MMAFighting.com).
“Right now it’s Conor McGregor, 100 percent,” O’Malley said. “He’s a dork, but it’s the truth. For me to get to that, I need to go out there and knock out Merab, I go up to [145 pounds], I beat Ilia [Topuria], I beat Max [Holloway], I beat Umar [Nurmagomedov], I’m three fights away from being one of the greatest of all-time, one of the most exciting of all-time. There’s [a] difference.
“No one thinks Conor’s the greatest fighter of all-time. He was lacking skills, lacked title defenses, but entertainment wise, he’s the best in the world. Entertainment wise, he was the best.”
Many continue to wonder when McGregor will actually return to pro MMA competition, if he ever does. Some already say that Michael Chandler has made a mistake waiting for Conor to be ready for a bout. We’ll see if patience finally pays off for the former multiple-time Bellator champion.
As for O’Malley, he will be putting his bantamweight championship at stake against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in the Sphere.
