Umar Nurmagomedov's coach addresses Sean O'Malley's Conor McGregor comparisons: "Leave the religion alone"

American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) head coach Javier Mendez recently shared his thoughts on Sean O'Malley, comparing a potential title fight against Umar Nurmagomedov to Conor McGregor's iconic rivalry and showdown against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

As a rising star in the UFC, O'Malley made no secret of his appreciation for McGregor. However, it appears 'Sugar' doesn't see 'The Notorious' as worthy of his praise anymore. While the two shared a friendly equation in the past, they have been trading verbal shots on social media over the past few months after McGregor attacked O'Malley over his previously failed Ostarine tests.

Since then, O'Malley has been on a mission to one-up McGregor by any means possible. Apart from regular jabs at the Irishman on social media, the UFC bantamweight champion recently pondered upon beating McGregor's fiercest rival's cousin in a fight to spite him.

Referencing the legendary rivalry between McGregor and the Nurmagomedov clan, O'Malley recently opened up about a potential fight against 'Young Eagle' as a way to one-up his former idol. During a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, Mendez addressed O'Malley's comments and said:

"Well, the thing of it is, I've yet to see O'Malley attack country, religion, or family. I'm all game for what O'Malley does. I'm good with what he does, he's attacking the fighter. Do that, attack the fighter, that's what you're supposed to do. Weaken him mentally if you can, go ahead, but leave the family alone."

Mendez continued:

Leave the religion alone. Leave the country alone. I haven't seen O'Malley cross that line... As a fighter, I respect him immensely... I think it'd be a great matchup [O'Malley vs. Nurmagomedov]

Catch Javier Mendez's comments below (19:44):

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Sean O'Malley talks about making Conor McGregor "jealous" with Umar Nurmagomedov clash

As mentioned, Sean O'Malley recently opened up about fighting Umar Nurmagomedov to push Conor McGregor's buttons. The UFC bantamweight champion referenced McGregor's rivalry and hatred for the Nurmagoemdov family and opined that a win over 'Young Eagle' would make the Irishman jealous.

In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, O'Malley reacted to Nurmagoemdov's callout for a title shot and broke down how it would affect the Irishman. He said:

"Me vs. Umar next? #wewillsee. LOL. Figgy called me out. Ilia [Topuria] and Max [Holloway] are going to fight soon. Undefeated Umar [18-0] vs. undefeated 'Suga' [19-0], beat a Dagestani? I wouldn't mind that. That would be a real good was to get at Conor McGregor. Oh, imagine how jealous he would be? I might go through Umar just for that! Could be a massive potential next fight."

O'Malley is booked to face Merab Dvalishvili at Noche UFC at The Sphere in September. With his decisive win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi, it's possible Nurmagomedov could be granted the next title shot.

Catch Sean O'Malley's comments below (2:13):