Sean O’Malley responds to public endorsement from Colby Covington: “He almost broke character!”
UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley was caught off guard by rare public praise from the often-brash Colby Covington.
O’Malley is expected to face Merab Dvalishvili for his next bantamweight title defense later this year. He earned a dominant win in his first title defense against Marlon Vera at UFC 299, winning unanimously.
O’Malley has emerged as one of the UFC’s biggest stars in and out of the cage. Love or hate him, he’s a pay-per-view standout and is expected to hold that role for years to come.
Another polarizing personality is Covington, who has ruffled many feathers during his UFC career. He most recently invoked Leon Edwards’ late father in pre-fight trash talk ahead of UFC 296.
Despite his often volatile persona, Covington recently complimented O’Malley as someone whose success he admires.
Covington praised O’Malley in a recent appearance on The Rush With Maxx Crosby podcast.
“[Sean’s] not afraid to dye his hair and care what people think about him,” Covington said of O’Malley. “He’s an all-time great, he’s the champion of the world in the bantamweight division. He’s got a great style and he brings something unique to the business that a lot of these fighters don’t do.”
Sean O’Malley ‘didn’t expect’ Colby Covington praise
In a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow podcast, O’Malley responded to Covington’s kind words.
“You know who gave me some praise I wasn’t expecting was Colby Covington,” O’Malley said. “People were tagging me in that. But he almost broke character in a sense…but you can’t deny cheddar. Not only that, but skillset.”
Covington is targeting a return to the Octagon later this year, potentially against Ian Machado Garry. The two sides have gone back and forth online for months.
A timeline for O’Malley’s expected fight against Dvalishvili is uncertain, although O’Malley has expressed profound interest in fighting at UFC 306 at the Las Vegas Sphere.
Two of the most polarizing stars in the UFC seem to have mutual respect, and O’Malley and Covington will look to add to their win columns later this summer.
