Sean O'Malley weighs in on Jon Jones-Islam Makhachev pound-for-pound debate

As a member of the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, Sean O'Malley has given his opinion on who he feels is the best active fighter in the world. As of June 2024, the bantamweight champion is the no. 6 ranked fighter in the promotional pound-for-pound rankings.

In a recent interview with The MacLife, O'Malley was asked if he felt Jon Jones or Islam Makhachev deserved to be no. 1 on the prestigious list. 'Sugar' replied:

"Islam [Makhachev]... Just [based on] activity right now. The pound-for-pound list is like right now. Right now, Islam is the best pound-for-pound in the world, I believe."

View Sean O'Malley's comments on the pound-for-pound debate below (7:18):

Per O'Malley's comment, Makhachev has fought and won twice in the time since Jones last competed in the octagon. The Dagestani is 8-0 with four championship victories since 2021, while Jones is just 1-0.

Despite his recent inactivity, the case for Jones as the top fighter in the world rides on the shoulders of his success at light heavyweight. Since becoming the 205-pound UFC champion in 2011, Jones is undefeated, going 15-0 .

---

Sean O'Malley gives an update on his beef with Conor McGregor

In his interview with The MacLife, Sean O'Malley provided an update on the back-and-forth sequence he engaged in with Conor McGregor. 'Sugar' told the McGregor-owned site that contrary to his previous statement, he did not actually speak to the Irishman, but he has no distaste for the 35-year-old.

The bantamweight's updated statement backtracks from a previous comment he made on his YouTube channel where he claimed to have cleared the air with 'The Notorious' through a discussion.

McGregor sparked the debate between the two by throwing O'Malley under the bus for his previous positive PED test in an X/Twitter rant on Ryan Garcia.

After a period of disagreement between the fighters, McGregor was also the one to end their brief rivalry in a promotional live stream with Duelbits.