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UFC lightweight Michael Chandler believes rising star Sean O'Malley isn't given the appreciation he deserves from fans, at least with regards to his talent.
In a Q&A session on Twitter, 'Iron' responded to a fan questioning if he believes 'Sugar' would ever win the bantamweight title in the future. Chandler said:
"I do…castor undervalued by fans as far as talent"
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O'Malley is coming off a no-contest fight against Pedro Munhoz after an accidental eye poke at UFC 276. However, the No.12-ranked bantamweight has been impressive in the UFC, recording a solitary loss at the hands of Marlon Vera in 2020.
The American is also at odds with former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo after their backstage altercation in the aftermath of his fight last weekend. Cejudo, who retired in 2020, re-entered the USADA testing pool this year, and Sean O'Malley is a potential opponent in his mind.
Meanwhile, Michael Chandler has been sensational this year. After an unfortunate Fight of the Year loss to Justin Gaethje last year, he returned to winning ways with an unbelievable front kick KO of Tony Ferguson. Chandler and O'Malley are among the most fan-favorite fighters in the UFC at the moment.
Watch Cejudo challenge O'Malley backstage at UFC 276 below:
Sean O'Malley hypes up potential McGregor vs. Chandler fight
'Sugar' believes a potential fight between Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor would be a box-office superhit. In an episode of the TimboSugarShow, O'Malley estimated over a million buys for a potential event featuring this matchup, noting that the most recent UFC 276 event reportedly did 400,000 pay-per-view buys. Here's what he had to say:
"That will be a huge pay-per-view. I wonder what Conor vs. Chandler would do. A million, for sure, right? I mean any Conor fight's gonna do a million, which is f*cking legendary."
McGregor is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in UFC history. After a lengthy absence due to a leg injury in his last fight against Dustin Poirier, 'Notorious' could well make his octagon return against Chandler.
A fight against an exciting lightweight in Chandler could be one of the biggest events on the UFC calendar, given the style of both fighters and their popularity amongst the fans.
Watch Sean O'Malley talk about Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler at 37:20 of the video below:
