The world of mixed martial arts has been waiting to witness the return of Conor McGregor for quite some time now. Even though he hasn’t graced the Octagon for about 3 years, he wasn’t out of talks in the fighting realm. He was apparently trying his best to land himself a fight at UFC’s debut in the Sphere, Las Vegas. Needless to say, the Irishman’s presence had the potential to sell out every single ticket for the evening. Not just McGregor, but a lot of other fighters, including the BMF champion, Max Holloway, wanted to fight at the Sphere. 

However, the UFC went with Sean O’Malley defending his title against Merab Dvalishvili for the main event. But what does the bantamweight champ have to say about it? Let’s find out!

Sean O’Malley confirms he was picked over Conor McGregor and Max Holloway to fight at UFC 306

The bantamweight champion appeared in an interview with TMZ Sports on 8th September 2024. No doubt, the brief conversation revolved around Riyadh Season Noche UFC. Being one of the fighters who would headline UFC 306 was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But why was O’Malley the one that the MMA promotion chose to feature for the main event when the matchmakers could have selected anyone? This was one of the questions that kept boggling the fighting community’s mind.

With 18 victories and just one defeat in his professional MMA career, ‘Suga’ makes sure the audience is greatly entertained by his phenomenal striking prowess. Needless to say, the UFC seemed to think pretty highly of O’Malley to get him the main event at UFC 306. After all, the MMA promotion had invested quite a bit of money into developing the event. 

When the interviewer pointed this out, O’Malley said, “Yeah, I would assume, assume the same thing. I think it would… Yeah, I’m, I was honored to get this card. I know Max were wanting on it, Conor was pretending he wanted on it. So, It’s been, it’s good.” 

Coming ahead of fighters like Max Holloway and ‘The Notorious’ is just the beginning of the journey for O’Malley. After all, he intends to eclipse McGregor’s fame and become the biggest fighter the world has ever seen.

Sean O’Malley reveals his end goal

The promotion raised the fans’ excitement for UFC 306 with a countdown episode. The video showcased the contenders fighting at the event and provided some insights into their motivation as they prepped for their respective fights. But the whole wide world was in shock as ‘Suga’ revealed his end goal was to shadow the man who inspired him to be the best fighter in his division.

O’Malley said, “It comes down to who is doing massive numbers, and who is doing big business for the UFC. And I do think I am that guy. I remember when Mcgregor started to headline cards and sell out arenas it was the same thing. It’s what I wanted when I was coming up in the sport. I wanted to do big things. I still feel like I am not really at the end goal.  My end goal is to become the biggest combat sports athlete in history.” 

The bantamweight champion has already snubbed two of the greatest fighters in the MMA realm to fight at one of the biggest events in combat sports. He is indeed a step closer to his end goal. 

Do you think McGregor should have been one of the fighters at UFC 306? What is your take on O’Malley being the one to headline the main event at Noche UFC? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.