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Sean O’Malley: 'I’m As Good As I Say I Am'
A Year After Winning The Bantamweight Title, Sean O’Malley Expects His Finest Work To Come At UFC 306
From the day Merab Dvalishvili earned his first UFC win back in September 2018, Sean O’Malley’s name was on the tip of his tongue. Much like the exhaustive pace and pressure he exhibits in his fights, Dvalishvili continued to push for a fight with “Suga” while he built a 10-fight winning streak. He finally gets his wish virtually six years to the day since that first callout, this time with UFC gold on the line at UFC 306.
When UFC.com sat down with the champ in July, O’Malley had a simple message to send his counterpart:
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“Careful what you wish for.”
Basking in the glow of his first title defense — a five-round beatdown of Marlon “Chito” Vera to avenge his lone professional loss — O’Malley always knew Dvalishvili was next in line.
We brought the Suga Show to the @AZCardinals 👊🏈@SugaSeanMMA | @NFL pic.twitter.com/WFD0L6yd6G
— UFC (@ufc) August 29, 2024
Many tout Dvalishvili as the worst matchup for O’Malley, which conventionally makes sense. The Georgian wrecking ball is the bantamweight division’s all-time leader in takedowns landed, and his cardio allows him to push a pace few if any can match. O’Malley, a sniper-like knockout artist with 12 such stoppages on his record, is no stranger to the notion that his opponent wants to put him on his back. He aced the test against Dvalshivili’s friend and former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, and he expects more of the same on September 14.
“(This) fight is not going to go the way he thinks it's going to go,” O’Malley said. “This fight is going to end brutal. The way he blitzes in, the ways he's sloppy. He is slow. It is not going to end well for him. I do not understand where the confidence comes from. I know he's beat a bunch of guys, but he's never fought anyone like me.”
O’Malley’s knockout win in Boston was eye-popping for several reasons, not least of which being the fact that Sterling, one of the finest grapplers in the division, couldn’t get O’Malley down once. In fact, Sterling only shot twice before O’Malley found a home for his piston-like right hand. It was a perfect encapsulation of what makes “Suga” such a treat to watch, even when, stylistically, he should struggle to find his rhythm.
While Dvalishvili’s aims are similar, the ways he goes about getting his hands on his opponents is vastly different. O’Malley said he believed Sterling was a bigger threat on the ground because of his submission ability, and although Dvalishvili’s pace and pressure is lauded, the champion believes that very trait is going to lead to the Georgian’s demise. For all the talk of Dvalshvili’s advantages over him — to be fair, Dvalishvili isn’t exactly a great matchup for anyone — O’Malley is channeling his inner-Michael Jordan and taking that notion personally.
“I've heard so many people say he is the hardest fight in the division for me, and I disagree,” O’Malley said. “That'll be sweet to be able to go out there and put his lights out. That's a good feeling. People are going to be very, very surprised when I do it.”
MORE UFC 306: Fighters Talk About Fighting At Sphere
The fact that it is happening in a first of its kind event at Sphere makes it all the better. O’Malley called the headlining slot an “honor,” and something he feels he earned over the course of his seven-year UFC tenure.
During that time, O’Malley bore the weight of expectation. All along the way, he passed the tests in front of him, usually in style. O’Malley, for his part, enjoys the spoils of fame, but his dedication to, and love for, the fight game is as obvious as his talent.
By the time he took the bantamweight crown, O’Malley was already one of the most popular athletes on the roster. UFC gold, at that point, was icing on a lucrative cake and a dream come true. The title does come with a different pressure and expectation, but O’Malley seems to wear it well.
“Champion life, when you're 16, 17, you think you're going to the girls and the parties and you could do all this stuff,” he said. “Realistically, I'm in the gym, I have a three-year-old, and I have a family. I've been living the same life since I moved to Arizona when I was 19. Ten years later, I'm doing the same s**t. I play Call of Duty, train a lot more — I have a daughter now, so that's different. But for the most part, I'm living the same life.
“Sometimes I drive a Lambo to the gym, sometimes I drive my Ferrari to the gym. Back then, it was my 2006 Nissan. But life's good. Life's been good.”
READ: New Fighter Kits Launched For UFC 306
Another thing that hasn’t changed is the target on O’Malley’s back.
Part of that is self-created (famously, he did shout: “Welcome to the Suga Show” at Dana White’s Contender Series), and part of it was the UFC promotional machine. Like any confident, exciting fighter, doubters came in droves, but so did fans. His win over Sterling was the start of the “Suga Era.” Outclassing Vera brought the sweet taste of revenge, and now he gets to face a man whose had his name in his mouth for six years. O’Malley, who believes his vision is one of his best attributes, can already imagine how the right finish will reverberate across the MMA landscape.
“I don't think there's going to be as many people calling me out,” he said. “If they are, it's (reluctantly). Once I do what I’m going to do to Merab, people are going to realize I'm as good as I say I am.”
UFC 306: O'Malley vs Dvalishvili took place live from Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 14, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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