Is Sean O’Malley set to eclipse Conor McGregor’s ‘star power’ in the UFC? Conor McGregor has long held the throne, but O’Malley believes the winds of change are blowing, and he’s next in line. The bantamweight champion is gearing up to defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306. But at the recent pre-fight press conference, ‘Suga’s claim to McGregor’s throne didn’t sit well with the fans. The reason? The light-heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira!

O’Malley was asked if he would put in a dominant performance at ‘The Sphere’ against Dvalishvili and if that would put him one step closer to the Irishman’s level. The bantamweight champion responded by stating, “Yeah, I think I’m very close. I think Conor’s still got one more big fight in him coz of the big question mark, like can Conor come back? Can he actually beat Chandler? So I think Conor’s got one more huge fight, if he goes out there and loses his next fight it’ll be like six in a row or something… like it’s gonna die down eventually.”

O’Malley indicated that he knows that if the former lightweight champion falters again, it could be the final blow to his superstar status as his last win inside the Octagon came in 2020 at UFC 246 against Donald Cerrone. ‘Suga’ confidently stated, “…but I would assume he goes out there if he loses, I’m there, I’m the guy, I’m the number 1.” However, the MMA sphere wasn’t on board with the claims as they fired back against Sean O’Malley on social media. Here’s a look at what the netizens had to say.

Fans give Sean O’Malley a reality check on his ‘stardom’ in the UFC  

The fans dubbed Alex Pereira the “face of the UFC” and highlighted the fact that O’Malley is still behind names like Sean Strickland, Islam Makhachev and Max Holloway when it comes to his appeal. A look at the top 10 live gates in UFC history shows that UFC 300 which was headlined by ‘Poatan’ earned a whopping $16,508,823, a number higher than UFC 299 where O’Malley defended his title for the first time against Marlon Vera! ‘Suga’ vs ‘Chito’ 2 drew in $14,142,904, not a small figure, but Alex Pereira has 2 more fights in the top 10 live gates list, leaving the bantamweight champion in the dust!

“Pereira is the face of the UFC. Islam, Strickland , Holloway. They all are before Sean.”

Conor McGregor’s stamp on the sport is undeniable for the fans as well. ‘The Notorious’s rise from his UFC debut in 2013 to becoming ‘champ-champ’ in 2016 is a run for the ages. Even UFC CEO Dana White agrees with the sentiment as during a recent press conference, he explained why the Irishman is on his ‘Mount Rushmore’ of MMA fighters by stating, “You had NFL and NBA and soccer players mimicking Conor McGregor during the games” during his peak. Do you think O’Malley can make the same impact beyond the world of MMA?

“There will never be another impact like conor and I don’t even like him”

Some fans claimed that the bantamweight division and Sean O’Malley aren’t a “draw”. A bold claim, but the division has produced names like T.J. Dillashaw, Dominick Cruz, and Cody Garbrandt, all phenomenal champions in their time.

“Nah nobody cares about 135 … you’re good fighter. But not a draw”

Another important point that was highlighted by the community was the struggle with ticket prices being faced by UFC 306. According to recent reports, while Dana White and the UFC are expecting the historic event to set new live gate records, the ticket prices have seen a significant slash! How much? According to a post on X by Gilbert Burns’s ‘Show Me The Money’ podcast, “For people saying “there’s still $3,000 tickets”. Those were the cheapest tickets available and nose bleeds. Now $3,000 gets you almost to the floor.”

“Absolutely not, Conor would’ve sold out the sphere at the original prices. Sean is popular but he’s nowhere near the star level of Conor.”

But a contrasting opinion was also put forth by one fan who proclaimed that if Sean O’Malley continues his run through the bantamweight division by defeating Merab Dvalishvili and solving the puzzle that is the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov, there would be no doubts left about his stardom in the UFC!

“If he can beat merab and umar he is probably the biggest star in UFC history.”

In conclusion, the fan reactions indicate that Sean O’Malley still has a long way to go to earn his spot atop the UFC’s mountain. O’Malley may be knocking at the door, but fans were quick to remind him that there are others, like Alex Pereira, who are currently seen as the face of the UFC. Do you think Sean O’Malley has what it takes to claim the top star spot in the UFC and eclipse ‘Poatan’ and Conor McGregor? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!