Daniel Cormier on Sean O'Malley - "He does have potential to be champ, I don't know if it'll happen"

Daniel Cormier has given his thoughts on the future of Sean O'Malley in the UFC.

Over the course of the last few years, we've all come to know Sean O'Malley and what he's capable of inside the octagon. With a 15-1 overall mixed martial arts record, he looks set for a big step-up in competition soon.

'Sugar' is known for being quite a polarizing man outside of the cage but his abilities inside are undeniable. Still, at the age of 27, the time for him to finally make a push towards an eventual title shot may be right around the corner.

Daniel Cormier, who knows what it feels like to hold UFC gold, has given his thoughts on where O'Malley will go from here. During a recent episode of DC & RC, Cormier said:

“That’s a tough one, because it’s such a tough weight class. I think that Sean O’Malley has a good skill set to be a champion. I think [O’Malley] is big, I think he has unbelievable striking and I know that he has great jiu-jitsu. The question for me is, how does he do as he gets into the elite of the elite, because we just haven’t really seen that. Do I think he has the potential to be champ? Absolutely, but so many things have to go right to win a championship. I think that’s what people misunderstand.”

Catch the full episode below:

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What happened the last time Sean O'Malley fought?

O'Malley went up against Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 in December 2021. Heading into that contest, he was riding a two-fight win streak and hoped to finish 2021 at 3-0. In the end, that's precisely what he did after scoring a great Performance of the Night finish over Paiva.

He did so in the first round and reminded the masses that he's ready for a step-up in opponent, even at 135 pounds, which we know to be the most ruthless of weight classes.

While he did lose for the first time against Marlon Vera in August 2020, he's still one of the most dangerous fighters at bantamweight.