Sean O’Malley has suggested that other UFC fighters are jealous of the success he’s enjoyed with the promotion.
Over the course of the last few years, few fighters on the UFC roster have seen their star power rise quite as much as Sean O’Malley. The bantamweight sensation is one of the most eccentric athletes out there right now with his unique personality being one of the primary attractions that has drawn so many fans to his work.
He’s building a strong base for himself both in and outside of the Octagon and as he continues to try and climb through the 135-pound rankings, he’s making more and more enemies every day.
The reason for that, of course, is because they want to take his spot, and they want to capitalise on the hype train that he’s become.
O’Malley appears to be well aware of this but in a general sense, he seems to think it goes further, as he noted during a recent interview.
Video: Sean O’Malley questions fellow UFC fighters
“Some fighters being jealous, I do see that. That’s just a natural human tendency, it’s also a mental weakness when you are jealous of someone else’s success. That’s just a mental weakness really. But I see it. I mean, these guys fighting tougher guys than me and they’re driving f***ing Toyota, Priuses, you know, driving to their little house. And I’m sitting in a mansion with a Lambo, two Teslas out in the garage, you know, couple of acres, just chilling. So I can see why they are jealous.”
As if it wasn’t clear enough already, ‘Suga’ knows how to make headlines and wind up his rivals.
Abu Dhabi awaits
In what will serve as a giant step up in competition, Sean O’Malley returns to action next month to battle a former UFC bantamweight champion at UFC 280 - Petr Yan.
‘No Mercy’ is coming off the back of consecutive defeats at the hands of Aljamain Sterling, both of which were considered to be fairly controversial.
Sterling will actually be defending the belt in the main event on the same card against TJ Dillashaw and if O’Malley can pull off the upset, there’s a pretty good chance he’ll be fighting for a championship in 2023.
Alas, securing the biggest win of his career is going to be easier said than done when he’s going against one of the best strikers in the sport.
O’Malley talks a big game, and this will be the ultimate test of whether or not he can match that energy on the elite level.