Sean O'Malley recently said he would prefer not to fight on a card headlined by Conor McGregor.
According to 'Suga', the Irishman commands the attention of the entire combat sports world every time he steps inside the octagon. Thus, not attracting enough recognition for him, even if he puts on a phenomenal performance.
O'Malley said:
"You know, I would rather fight with less attention on the card. I would rather fight like on a non-Conor card, because no matter what even if I go out there and perform beautifully, and Conor breaks his foot or whatever, all the [media sites], ESPN, Sports Center, everything's going to pick up Conor..."
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Watch Sean O'Malley's full interview with Helen Yee below:
Interestingly, Sean O'Malley kicked off the main card at UFC 264, headlined by a lightweight contest between McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
'Suga' dismantled debutant Kris Moutinho and finished him in the final round. However, the story of the night was McGregor's disastrous injury which cost him the fight.
O'Malley has two more fights on his UFC contract and is expecting a significant bump in pay. Considered by many to be the next superstar in the UFC, 'Suga' will look to take on top-ranked opponents in his future outings.
Conor McGregor on Sean O'Malley's striking
'The Notorious' recently expressed his opinion on Sean O'Malley's striking skills. A prolific and accomplished striker in his own right, McGregor labeled O'Malley's striking "slick" during a Q&A session with his fans on Twitter.
O'Malley was quick to respond to McGregor's praise and replied with an emoji representing thankfulness.
Although they compete in different divisions, the striking similarities between McGregor and O'Malley are hard to miss.
O'Malley's counterpunching ability is very reminiscent of the Irishman. The movement and dominance imposed by the two masterful strikers during their victorious bouts are eerily similar.
Take a look at Conor McGregor's title-winning performance against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205: