"He's not mad at the UFC" - Michael Chandler praises Sean O'Malley for his attitude towards fighter pay

Michael Chandler has praised Sean O'Malley for his money-making attitude. The lightweight contender believes the way the bantamweight prospect responds to his desire to earn more in the UFC should be applauded.

Speaking in an interview with MMA Fighting, Michael Chandler lauded 'Sugar' for using his popularity to make money outside of fighting.

"He [Sean O'Malley] was talking about, 'Yeah, I probably should be getting paid a little bit more.' But the beautiful thing about Sean O'Malley is, he's not mad at the UFC because if you're mad at the UFC, that means you're only worried about that one paycheck that you're getting. Sean O'Malley has a huge platform and is able to monetize his brand, his following, the things that he says, the things that he does outside of just the cage, outside of just the competition. And once you've mastered that and made peace with that and you're grateful for the opportunity that you have, then, things are gonna work out much better for you in the end."

You can watch the full Michael Chandler interview below:

On multiple occasions, Sean O'Malley has stated that he deserves to be paid more by the UFC.

In one episode of his podcast The BrO'Malley Show, the 27-year-old shared a conversation he had with UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.

“He said, ‘I know you’re going to be asking for a lot of money.’ It’s like, no s**t! I’m pulling f**king numbers, dude. You can’t deny that. It’s like, why do they have a problem paying someone what they’re worth? That shouldn’t be an issue. That should be like, especially when I’m blowing up like that. Those last two fights, third-round finishes, handing out brain damage. Like, dude, you should be like, ‘Hell yeah. I’m gonna pay you a lot. You’ve earned it.'”

Catch Sean O'Malley's comments in the video below:

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What's next for Michael Chandler and Sean O'Malley?

Sean O'Malley, who is coming off a spectacular win against Kris Moutinho at UFC 264. will return to action in December. 'Sugar' will take on Raulian Paiva in a bantamweight bout at UFC 269. The Brazilian is currently on a three-fight win streak.

Michael Chandler, meanwhile, will take on Justin Gaethje in a three-round fight at UFC 268. Both lightweights are coming off title fight losses.

'The Highlight' lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254. Michael Chandler, on the other hand, came up short in his pursuit of UFC gold at UFC 262. He was defeated by Charles Oliveira.

The winner of their fight could possibly go on to face the victor of Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier, which is set to go down on December 11.