"I am bigger than the belt" - Sean O'Malley boldly envisions Conor McGregor-like future in UFC

Sean O'Malley successfully defended his bantamweight throne against Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC 299 on Mar. 9.

Having drawn comparisons to the trailblazing Conor McGregor since before 'Sugar' became champion, the 135-pound champion spoke about what his future could hold during the post-event press conference following his title defense.

O'Malley stated that his path would emulate that of McGregor, as he would get to a point where he did not need to hold a title in order to headline a pay-per-view card or attract a large following of fans.

'The Notorious' became the first ever simultaneous UFC two-division champion after beating Eddie Alvarez in 2016, but has defended neither the lightweight nor featherweight titles which he has won in the promotion. Despite not holding a belt for most of his career, McGregor continues to be the biggest draw in MMA.

'Sugar' appeared in front of the media after his dominant performance, where he said this:

"We'll go with the flow, if it happens, I feel like I could move up to 145 [pounds]. You know, I'm going to get to a point where I don't even need the belt. I am bigger than the belt, I have the belt. I'm going to fight, main event, at f***ing 140 [pounds], 142.5 [pounds] just for fun. I'm getting to that point."

He continued:

"The belt's cool, but once you get to a certain point, you can main event and just kind of fight. Look at Conor, he was 145 pound champion fighting at 170 [pounds], fighting Nate [Diaz]. I want to get there."

Watch Sean O'Malley's comments below:

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Dana White labels Sean O'Malley as the "biggest bantamweight star ever"

Sean O'Malley put on a striking masterclass in the UFC 299 main event against Marlon Vera.

'Sugar' was hoping to avenge his loss to Vera at UFC 252, when the pair met in Miami, and the bantamweight champion delivered an incredible performance to maintain his title.

He landed 141 more significant strikes than 'Chito' through five rounds, the second-highest sig. strike differential in divisional history, behind O'Malley vs. Kris Moutinho.

Following the event, UFC CEO Dana White appeared in front of the media, where he discussed the star power of the 135-pound king. He said this:

"It was the biggest bantamweight fight of all-time... He's on his way [to Conor McGregor levels], he's the biggest star ever in bantamweight history. We could say that right now."

Watch White's comments on Sean O'Malley below: