'People hate confidence' - Sean O'Malley reveals how he dealt with criticism after his UFC 252 loss to Marlon Vera

In the lead-up to his big return this weekend at UFC 260, Sean O'Malley has revealed how he managed to deal with the hate directed at him after his last loss.

The rising bantamweight prospect said that the "insecure people" just hate his confidence, and he got a lot of negative reaction for being a fighter who likes to talk and engage.

During his interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Sean O'Malley claimed that he wasn't too worried about the criticism he received following UFC 252. Sugar added that he received a lot of hate messages, even until recently.

Now that O'Malley is set to make his comeback, he believes there is once again a lot of hype for his return.

"People hate confidence, there's a lot of insecure people in the world and they hate confidence. They don't like seeing someone win, especially when you talk. I obviously talk, I'm confident, I think I'm good, whatever. But I got a lot of hate but I don't know, it's cool, it's whatever. I wasn't too worried about it. I think I got a lot of hype coming back for this fight but initially for a while, a couple of months, even till recently really just still getting a lot of hate, get messages from people, it's kind of funny."

This Saturday at the UFC 260 pay-per-view, Sean O'Malley will face Thomas Almeida in his return fight.

After losing to Marlon Vera in his last Octagon outing, O'Malley was the focal point of conversation for a while, especially for claiming that he is still undefeated after the loss.

Sugar will aim to get back in the win column by taking out Almeida and continuing his quest to eventually challenge for the UFC bantamweight title at some point down the road.

Sean O'Malley is a rising star in the UFC's bantamweight division

Despite his first loss in the UFC, Sean O'Malley remains a sensation in the UFC's stacked bantamweight division. Since his promotional debut in 2017, O'Malley has secured some of the most impressive wins at 135.

But it was his stunning knockout victory over Eddie Wineland at UFC 250 that caught the attention of many. Sean O'Malley will aim to replicate a similar performance this Saturday and get the better of Almeida.