The No.11-ranked bantamweight Ricky Simon has been mocked by fans reacting to his claim that Sean O'Malley is the "easiest" fight in the division.
Per MMA Fighting, the 29-year-old admitted he's eyeing up a fight with 'Sugar' because it would be the biggest and easiest of anyone in the rankings:
“It’s the biggest fight, with the most amount of eyes, and the least dangerous and easiest fight in my division, in my opinion.I think O’Malley’s the easiest fight of all the guys I could be fighting in the top-10. I know he has a big following and it would be entertaining for the fans, as well. He’s good at what he does, and I’m mean in there.”
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Fans have reacted to the bold claim, with one fan joking that Simon's loss to MMA legend Urijah Faber should mean he keeps quiet in regards to Sean O'Malley:
"Says the guy who got knocked out fast by the California senior citizen"
Another fan joked that Simon is only interested in the fight because he'll try to wrestle him:
"That's because you want to hug him. Stand with him, then see if it's the easiest fight."
One fan praised Simon for making the callout but opined that O'Malley, who's fighting the No.1-ranked Petr Yan next, isn't likely to accept a fight with someone ranked as low as the 29-year-old:
"You can't blame him for a hype callout. But at this point Sean isn't going to go backwards to fight him."
Check out some of the other fan reactions below:
Aljamain Sterling believes "footwork" will help Sean O'Malley defeat Petr Yan
Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has given a breakdown of the upcoming bout between Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan.
'Funk Master', who has two victories over Yan, believes his footwork was the key to his success against the Russian and reiterated 'Sugar' must do the same to keep 'No Mercy' guessing.
Speaking to The Schmo, 'Aljo' gave what he thinks is the path to success against the dominant Yan:
“You know, I don’t give a sh** who wins that fight. I really don’t. But if there’s a piece of advice I can give to O’Malley, it’s footwork frustrates Yan. He has a hard time tracking guys down who have good footwork and are not just gonna stand in front of him waiting for the kill shot."
Sterling added:
"And using his range, and try not to get hit to the body because I think he’s a little frail and a little soft around the midsection. So, try not to let Yan catch you with one of those straights because I’m telling you – It don’t feel too good.”
Watch Aljamain Sterling's full interview here: