Sean O’Malley credits Conor McGregor for inspiring him to birth the ‘Suga Show’ despite recent clashes

Former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley is still thankful for Conor McGregor irrespective of the recent rivalry.

Sean O’Malley credits Conor McGregor for inspiring him to birth the ‘Suga Show’ despite recent clashes

Sean O'Malley speaks on Conor McGregor (Image via Imago)

Conor McGregor and Sean O’Malley are currently not on friendly terms. Both superstars have traded multiple online insults against each other over the last few months. It all started when McGregor criticized O’Malley’s previous Ostarine failure. However, despite the animosity, O’Malley has not forgotten his admiration for the former UFC double champion.

Sean O’Malley and McGregor’s feud became intense when the Irishman made random remarks about ‘Suga’ on a livestream. O’Malley responded to the ‘Notorious’ by accusing him of being an alcoholic and drug addict. Before his latest title loss, O’Malley had plans to take McGregor’s spot as the UFC’s next great star. Despite this back and forth, he still has a soft spot for McGregor and our well-being. 

He played an important role in my career. It’s always will be inspiration to me at some point… Right now I wouldn’t say he necessarily is… He has a big family now, a bunch of kids, and I hope he’s doing well.

Sean O’Malley via JOIN THE LOBBY PODCAST 
YouTube video

McGregor’s ascension to prominence demonstrated the power of personality, knockout ability, and brand-building. This influenced O’Malley’s approach to his career both inside and beyond the cage. O’Malley and McGregor’s careers have a lot of similarities. O’Malley’s knockout against Aljamain Sterling was also an exact replica of McGregor’s Jose Aldo knockout.

Like Conor McGregor, O’Malley received a significant boost from UFC during his title run. CEO Dana White was very impressed with O’Malley’s marketing ability and was involved in his success. However, all of his achievements came to an end at UFC 306, as O’Malley lost his title to Merab Dvalishvili. Now, the superstar is desperate to regain his lost standing.

Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili title rematch?

At UFC 306, Sean O’Malley was dominated by Merab Dvalishvili for five rounds before losing by unanimous decision. Initially, O’Malley accepted the defeat and took the loss on the chin, and joked about it. However, things changed as O’Malley began to criticize the officials for robbing him of a win.

Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili (via X)

Since then, Sean O’Malley has been looking for a potential title rematch. Surprisingly, Dvalishvili has also shown interest in giving O’Malley an immediate title shot. Recently,  the Georgian commented under O’Malley’s post, agreeing to fight anytime.

Let’s go Anytime anywhere.

Merab Dvalishvili via Instagram comments 

Other than Sean O’Malley, the number one bantamweight title contender, Umar Nurmagomedov also wants to fight Merab Dvalishvili. This has created a difference in choices, which has developed into a heated situation between all the top fighters. It would be interesting to see how UFC will manage this competition going forward.