Sean O’Malley Took Notes From Conor McGregor’s Playbook Before Knocking Out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292

It is no secret that UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley wants to be the next Conor McGregor. The latter is, of course, one of the biggest stars in the history of mixed martial arts, having done more than most to popularize the sport, and having become one of the reasons the sport has broken into the mainstream cultural consciousness, especially in America and Europe.

Just last year, ‘Suga’ claimed that not only was he flattered at being compared with ‘Notorious’, but was also determined to overtake the Irishman as the sport’s most popular star. While this claim did not go down well with most fans, Mac’s influence on the 135-pound champion is unmistakable. Another example of this influence came with the footage of him backstage before his title shot against Aljamain Sterling.

Sean O’Malley watched Conor McGregor clips prior to UFC 292 title bout

Sean O’Malley defeated Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 last year to wrest the UFC bantamweight crown off of ‘Aljo’. At his sniping best, the rainbow-haired bantamweight caught Sterling with a perfectly placed counter after Sterling extended too far trying to hit O’Malley.

One of the best strikers in UFC history, ‘Suga’s accuracy, counter-striking, understanding of range, and precision are certainly reminiscent of the UFC’s first two-division champion. This is not all surprising since O’Malley was watching old highlights of McGregor before walking in to fight ‘Aljo’ at the TD Garden in Boston.

The behind-the-scenes happenings moments before O’Malley walked out to fight ‘Aljo’ was caught on the backstage documentary, ‘Fight Inc: Inside the UFC’. In it, ‘Suga’ could be seen watching the Irishman knock out his opponents with his historically great striking abilities as he sat waiting to make his walkout.

O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch remarked how they liked to see McGregor’s old clips because of the many high-pressure situations he has been in. To which the 29-year-old agreed, taking in the Irishman’s poise and calmness during the fights. “Yeah, the way he shows up every time, hundred percent,” he said. And O’Malley is hoping to become a breakout star and follow McGregor’s example by crossing over for a boxing match.

‘Suga’ wants to box Ryan Garcia, but still has work to do

Sean O’Malley defended his title for the first time, avenging the only loss of his career against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 299 earlier this year. After featherweight champion Ilia Topuria rejected ‘Suga’s call-out, the Montana native is almost definitely going to face the official number one bantamweight title contender, Merab Dvalishvili. While no date has been set yet, O’Malley has indicated in a tweet that he wants it to be next year.

And the champ is likely to be at his very best and make a statement in his fight with Dvalishvili, as he has set his eyes on crossing over and facing boxing superstar Ryan Garcia in a boxing match. After ‘King Ry’s recent breakout victory over Devin Haney earlier this year, the UFC champ spoke about a possible fight with the boxer. O’Malley felt he was “two more f***ing sick performances” away from being a big enough star because “I’m not there yet. I’ve still got to become bigger.” 

Which would not be an easy task against Dvalishvili, who is a stylistic matchup for the champ. The Georgian is a world-class wrestler, and is coming off a victory over wrestling Olympic gold medallist and former two-division UFC concurrent champion, Henry Cejudo.

And O’Malley, who relies almost entirely on his brilliant striking does not have much of a ground game. Which makes him susceptible to being taken down on the ground, where nothing good could happen for the champ. But, if he can defeat Dvalishvili with the flair and style with which he defeated Sterling and ‘Chito’, he would certainly be one step closer to becoming the next superstar of the UFC. But there is a long way for him to go yet, and any comparisons with Conor McGregor, the most consequential person the sport has ever seen, is a bit hasty.