"0% chance that ever happens" - UFC refuses to allow Sean O'Malley pursue boxing match against 'unknown' Devin Haney

Sean O'Malley defied the odds at UFC 292 by dethroning Aljamain Sterling to capture the promotion's bantamweight title. It was the culmination of a difficult journey to the top, and one that, the UFC hopes, has turned O'Malley into the star they've always expected him to be.

After defeating Sterling, O'Malley attended the post-fight press conference, where he outlined his future as a combat sports athlete. He expects to defend his bantamweight title in a rematch with Marlon 'Chito' Vera, as he intends to avenge his only career loss, which he claims was nothing more than a fluke.

His most notable statement though, was his desire to pursue boxing matches. Sean O'Malley specifically singled out Gervonta Davis. However, months later, there has been talk of him taking on Devin Haney, after the two traded barbs on social media.

According to O'Malley, the UFC turned down the idea due to Haney being a relatively unknown fighter, with O'Malley even claiming to have never watched one of the boxer's fights:

"The thing about Devin Haney is like, I’m not trying to throw shade or anything, but I've legit never watched him box one fight, ever…I talked to the UFC about potential boxing fights someday, and they were like: 'no one knows Devin Haney, there’s 0% chance that ever happens.'"

One boxer who expressed an interest in facing Sean O'Malley is another undefeated sensation in Shakur Stevenson. The UFC bantamweight champion wasted no time in responding to Stevenson's callout but ultimately dismissed any chances of a Stevenson-O'Malley boxing match.

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Sean O'Malley on fighting Alexander Volkanovski

After beating Aljamain Sterling and claiming the UFC bantamweight title, Sean O'Malley was critical of 'Funk Master's' previous plans of moving up to featherweight to take on Alexander Volkanovski. O'Malley recognized how daunting a task it would be to beat someone as skilled and physically gifted as 'the Great.'

While he didn't completely rule out the possibility of one day fighting Volkanovski, he claimed he was in no hurry to do so. He also recognized that moving up to lightweight, as Volkanovski did, could also prove too challenging, as the fighters at 155 pounds are currently too large for him.