Blame the influencers. Or, better still, blame the YouTubers. Why? They started roping in retired MMA fighters for boxing rules matches, raking in the never-heard-of-before kind of moolah. Perhaps it was time for a direct invasion. But the world saw it firsthand in Riyadh. Many question who is to blame when boxers don’t do their jobs properly. A former UFC champion tested the waters on October 28 and came out with flying colors. The fort has been breached. Now, even a reigning UFC champion seems to be trying hard to make it big in the boxing citadel.

Sean O’Malley‘s Twitter or X war with Devin Haney has already entered popular lore. With intentions of taking his mission to the next level, the Bantamweight champion seems to have had talks with the UFC top brass. But unfortunately, he will have to wait for a green signal as it appears. He oozed confidence in taking on some of the biggest names in today’s boxing. However, none of them are big enough to spin money to prop a fight, say in the league of Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Conor McGregor.

A bold declaration from Sean O’Malley

Ariel Helwani asked Sean O’Malley whether he had taken up any discussion with the UFC over a fight with Devin Haney. Though his reply didn’t sound very confident, he continued, never coming across any matches where Haney and Shakur Stevenson participated. Later, he clarified that instead of the professionals, he’s more into watching influencer boxers such as Jake Paul and Logan Paul.

However, he added that in their reply, the UFC shared that boxers such as Haney, Stevenson, or Gervonta Davis don’t have that much pay-per-view sell-out star value. The exception could be someone like Ryan Garcia. He said that according to the UFC, only a fight comparable to something akin to the Mayweather Jr.-McGregor fight would draw them into business. So O’Malley hopes that in a few years when a genuine big star in boxing comes up and his stakes are also high, something could be hoped for.

Ariel Helwani asked whether the terms between him and Ryan Garica were cordial. Sean O’Malley replied that there was no real dispute between the two. But since he writes a lot of garbage about boxers, there are chances that they might dislike him. In many ways, he pities them. Given his superior skills in ground fighting, he can defend himself even if he talks nonsense about the boxers. But it’s not the same for them, he theorized.

According to O’Malley, he could even defeat all of them in a single night. He said, “…that’s embarrassing. No, it’s not embarrassing. I take [it] that it’s not embarrassing, but they can’t. They can talk sh*t on Twitter, but they can’t actually fight. They can box like mo*******kers, right, and I’m not even saying I’m [going to] go out there. I do. I believe I could beat them…”

As could be expected, the Francis Ngannou–Tyson Fury fight was the conversation starter. Ariel Helwani asked whether the bout gave him any hope for the future.

Bantamweight champion looking forward to a dance in the squared circle

Sean O’Malley shared with Helwani that, deep within, he knew that he would be getting into boxing someday. It is just like if someone had asked him during the contender series, where he participated as a young man, then he would have shared that he would be champion one day. Likewise, he knows that he will be getting into the squared circle, but precisely when it happens or against whom he will go, only time can tell. When the MMA Hour host asked why he would want to pursue the sport, ‘Sugar’ replied that he loves boxing.

Read More: Sean O’Malley Claims He Knocked Out Alexandre Pantoja as 125lbs Champ Confesses Disdain for Newly Crowned Bantamweight King in Fresh Callout

What’s your take? Do you think this MMA versus Boxing thing, is being stretched a bit more than it’s needed? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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