UFC bantamweight star Sean O'Malley has admitted that he doesn't pay much attention to boxing or the UFC unless it is a huge event.
Speaking on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour, 'Sugar' revealed that he's much more interested in streaming on his Twitch channel and playing Call of Duty than watching some of the 'lesser' events in combat sports:
"I'm not super familiar with the YouTube boxing space. I don't really watch boxing or the UFC ever. There has to be a massive fight for me to watch the UFC. I would rather play Call of Duty for the most part."
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O'Malley wouldn't miss the opportunity to watch his next fight if it were possible. The announcement of his upcoming bout with the No.1-ranked Petr Yan stunned MMA fans around the world earlier this month.
Billed as one of the UFC's hottest prospects and rising stars, 'Sugar' will without a doubt face the toughest test of his career so far when he steps into the cage with Yan. The Russian is a former champion of the division and has only lost twice in the UFC, both times to current champ Aljamain Sterling.
The 27-year-old, who is the No.13-ranked bantamweight, last stepped into the octagon earlier this month when he faced the No.9-ranked Pedro Munhoz. The bout was expected to be a true test of O'Malley's potential, but it was rendered a no-contest after an illegal eye poke to Munhoz.
Catch Sean O'Malley's interview here:
Sean O'Malley believes fans will see the best version of himself when he faces Petr Yan
A fan favorite and already tipped for greatness, the hype train of Sean O'Malley may stop at its final station at UFC 280.
'Sugar' will face Petr Yan in Abu Dhabi later this year and will almost guarantee himself a title shot should he emerge victorious. A win for O'Malley would be one of the UFC's biggest upsets based on their current rankings and the KO power of the 27-year-old will be put to the test against the Russian fighter who has never been finished.
Speaking in the same interview with Ariel Helwani, O'Malley believes fighting an elite level fighter such as Petr Yan will only highlight his own level in the octagon:
“So, I’m just excited about the opportunity, and I believe I’ll capitalize on the opportunity. And I think the higher level guys I fight, the better ‘Sugar’ you guys are going to get. I’ve not been able to show my true MMA skills inside the octagon. I really did think Pedro was going to be the one to bring it out of me. It wasn’t, obviously. That went how it went. But I think Petr’s the guy to really let us see how good I really am.”