Sean O’Malley Channeling ‘Inner Conor McGregor’ Gets Stunning Approval from The Notorious

UFC superstar Sean O'Malley is ready to have a Conor McGregor-type comeback this weekend at UFC 316.

Sean O’Malley Channeling ‘Inner Conor McGregor’ Gets Stunning Approval from The Notorious

Conor McGregor reacts to Sean O'Malley's preparation for UFC 316 (via X Imago)

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is currently training hard for his much-awaited title rematch against Merab Dvalishvili. The fight is scheduled to take place this weekend at UFC 316 inside the Prudential Center with a lot of hype. Heading into the fight, ‘Machine’ is the betting favorite due to his incredible momentum and dominant winning streak so far.

Despite that, O’Malley appears confident and is already visualizing a spectacular performance similar to something Conor McGregor once delivered. Recently, during an embedded episode, ‘Suga’ was seen watching the McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rematch back at UFC 202. Following his latest training montage, the ‘Notorious’ extended his approval by comparing it with his own preparation during that second Diaz fight.

Very reminiscent of my Diaz 2 prep. Intriguing! BIG FIGHT FEEL! @ufc.

Conor McGregor via X

Similar to O’Malley, McGregor lost his first fight against Diaz at UFC 196 by submission. However, the ‘Mystic Mac’ bounced back to win the highly anticipated rematch via majority decision, dismantling the Stockton native with incredible striking. Going into UFC 316, O’Malley aims to emulate McGregor’s legendary comeback, seeking to avenge his recent defeat and reclaim momentum.

However, this indirect interaction between O’Malley and McGregor surprised many fans due to their heated rivalry from last year’s drama. ‘The Notorious’ had publicly called out O’Malley in a viral online rant that gained massive attention from the MMA community worldwide. In response, ‘Suga’ accused McGregor of being an alcoholic and addict who lost discipline after earning too much fame.

O’Malley admitted to taking inspiration from McGregor, but believes the current version is only a shadow of his former dominant self. Throughout his career, O’Malley has tried his best to become a bigger star than McGregor, but recently revealed that it was impossible. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see whether he can manage to get in that momentum this weekend.

Sean O’Malley’s upcoming rival gets high praise from veteran commentator

In the first fight, Sean O’Malley was completely dominated by Merab Dvalishvili across all five rounds without much resistance. He failed to defend himself effectively throughout the bout, which raised serious questions about his overall defensive abilities. Shockingly, he couldn’t even strike well, his signature strength, which stunned fans and analysts at the unexpected outcome.

Merab Dvalishvili's dominance ahead of the Sean O'Malley fight
Merab Dvalishvili’s dominance ahead of the Sean O’Malley fight (via X)

However, such dominance wasn’t new, as fans have regularly witnessed Dvalishvili’s relentless pressure and control inside the UFC octagon before. He has beaten some of the biggest legends of the bantamweight division in the same way he dominated O’Malley. Top commentator Jon Anik has observed all this firsthand and recently shared his opinion on the ‘Machine’.

When I look at the body of work of [Dvalishvili] in the modern era… he’s had twelve straight wins ever since [his last loss]… He left a murderers’ row of champions in this weight before he even fought for the title. He beat Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, Jose Aldo, then he beat Sean O’Malley. Defends the title on the challenger’s timeline and beating Umar Nurmagomedov… The greatest bantamweight of all time, not so quietly, is Merab ‘The Machine’ Dvalishvili.

Jon Anik via MMA Junkie

Going into the fight, Dvalishvili feels confident about leaving UFC 316 with the belt and extend his legendary bantamweight winning streak inside the promotion. He’s already looking past O’Malley, confidently speaking about staying active and fighting top contender Cory Sandhagen in his next bout. However, with O’Malley’s knockout power, an unexpected upset this weekend at UFC 316 wouldn’t be surprising for fight fans.

Also Read: