Once a proud champion in the octagon, Conor McGregor‘s legacy is now tainted by the grime of his actions. This phrase rings true when discussing the sport’s biggest star. More than three years have passed since his disastrous outing at UFC 264, and “Mystic Mac” has yet to put on his fighting gloves again. Nevertheless, he remains a significant figure in the MMA world, someone every young fighter aspires to prove themselves against to stand on the same footing as him.

This sentiment was recently echoed by Sean O’Malley, who has set his sights on the most awaited matchup: the main event “super-fight,” where featherweight king Ilia Topuria will defend his title for the first time against BMF title holder Max Holloway, slated to take place in Abu Dhabi at UFC 308.

How do Sean O’Malley’s future endeavors involve Conor McGregor?

Sean O’Malley has been out of the picture since last month after UFC 306, where he not only delivered a “lackluster” performance but also lost his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili. His defeat became even more bitter when he sustained a tear in the labrum of his hip during the fight, resulting in setbacks that will extend his recovery for a few more weeks. ‘Suga’ is now counting the days until he can settle the score with Dvalishvili.

While recovering, Sean O’Malley recently opened up about his future endeavors before his retirement while speaking on the ‘Join the Lobby’ podcast. The host fired a pointed question at him, asking, “Is there a certain accomplishment that you have in your mind that you haven’t reached yet?” ‘Suga’ took a deep breath and replied, “I’d like to get some more title defenses. The whole champ-champ thing, I was kind of pushing for that but got more hate than anything.”

After taking a quick pause, ‘Suga’ expressed his true wishes, “You know, I was calling out Ilia, Max, whoever won. I want super fights; I want big fights. I want people to get excited about big fights. Ilia vs. Max, to me, is a huge fight—I’m super excited about that. I want people to feel that way about my fights.”

Sean O’Malley further aims to thrill his idol, Conor McGregor, with his upcoming fight, stating, “Me fighting Ilia or Max would have given you that almost Conor-like feel, like, ‘Oh shit, I cannot wait for that fight.’ That’s what I want to do—I want big fights.”

It’s an intriguing statement from Sean O’Malley, especially considering that everything between him and Conor McGregor is currently tense, which comes to the surface from time to time.

What happened between O’Malley and ‘Mystic Mac’?

Conor McGregor, in just a limited time in the MMA world, has cemented his status as a force to be reckoned with. His achievements extend beyond his fights and ‘Mystic Mac’ has also built his popularity in the sport to the point where he surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo on the list of the richest athletes in the world. This laid the foundation for a new generation of fighters to join MMA, all with the dream of achieving similar success. Among these fighters is Sean O’Malley, who is striving to make his mark in his division.

However, as time went on, their idol-turned-rival relationship began to unfold. This tension started earlier this year when boxer Ryan Garcia tested positive for banned substances. ‘Suga’, who has had a beef with Garcia, called for a “lifetime ban” on him via social media. This led to the involvement of Conor McGregor, a good friend of Garcia, who tweeted at O’Malley, reminding him of his own suspension for testing positive for banned substances, which resulted in a six-month ban from USADA.

McGregor wrote, “I don’t like this. I’ll bust you both up. Do you want a spar? I will set flights right now for you both for a full-on spar each… Two little Ostarine heads.” This comment prompted ‘Suga’ to respond with a heated remark during an interview on the ‘TimboSugarShow,’ saying, “F**k Conor.” The rivalry continues to simmer even months later.

What are your thoughts on Sean O’Malley’s remarks? Do you believe that ‘Suga’, with his super fight, can replicate the same thrill and excitement that the buildup between Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria has created? Drop your opinion below.