“Not gonna complain,” Sean O’Malley boldly asserts UFC’s pivotal role in boosting his bankroll beyond the ring amid pay concerns

Bantamweight Sean O'Malley cues in the support he got from UFC, in relation to pay concerns.

“Not gonna complain,” Sean O’Malley boldly asserts UFC’s pivotal role in boosting his bankroll beyond the ring amid pay concerns

Sean O'Malley (Source: IMAGO)

UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is to face Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 297, for a rematch. The last time they squared-off at UFC 252, “Sugar” faced his first and only career skid. Since then, O’Malley has been adamant on rectifying the situation. He has even caught flack from peers in the division, like Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili, for choosing his maiden title defense against Vera. Vera, at #6, sits much lower down the division food chain than the other fighters. Conversely, Sterling is the one O’Malley defeated at UFC 292 to win the bantamweight gold.

Recently, O’Malley has been doing social media rounds and live interviews, leading up to the UFC 297 bout. Speaking to DJ Envy and co-host Laura Larusso at “The Breakfast Club” New Yorker’s Power 105.1 FM podcast, the fighter said:

I'm making a lot of money outside the UFC because of the platform UFC is giving me and I'm not going to complain about what I'm making in the UFC. I'm very happy with what I'm making. This next fight I get pay-per-view points, so that's going to be you know -  that's a big deal...

O’Malley faced the question as to what star-power attribute he provides to the promotion and what he aims to be. O’Malley said that his career win highlights are all that defines him. The fighter is 17-1-0 in his pro-MMA career. His only two hiccups were that of Vera and Pedro Munhoz. The match against Munhoz saw the ruling as a no-contest.

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The bantamweight champion has an estimated net worth of around $2.2 million US Dollars. He has a total recorded fight earnings of $2,841,000. His biggest payout was at UFC 292 ($1,182,000) where he won the title via a knockout. Additionally, O’Malley also has major tie-in sponsorships with MMA apparel maker Sanabul.

Sean O’Malley gets labeled as Dana White’s golden goose, from Aljamain Sterling

The previous bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling had called out Sean O’Malley to enjoy sorted privilege within the promotion. When the 135lbs title match for Boston saw fruition, Sterling had chosen to retort that O’Malley is entitled to privilege. The said privilege is, of CEO Dana White. Sterling had vowed to break that privilege and defeat the fan-favourite opponent. Later, in their August matchup, O’Malley claimed the title successfully.

Sean O'Malley with his historic punch against Aljamain Sterling
Sean O’Malley with his historic punch against Aljamain Sterling (Source: Twitter)

About O’Malley, Sterling has said that he commends the opponent as a good fighter. But he has prompted the notion of him being the more favored aspect. Speaking with The MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani, Sterling had labeled O’Malley as the golden goose. Backstage at UFC 292, after losing the title to O’Malley. Sterling mentioned being approached by White. On the podcast, he mentioned being caught off-guard by the appearance. He said:

It was kind of like, I know he’s probably looking at me probably, just...I don’t know what he was thinking...I mean, the golden goose [O’Malley] won in a fight matchup that he legitimately, I hate saying that because then it sounds like I’m discredited guy, but this is the way they say that eight or nine out of 10 times thing, right?

Sterling didn’t feel like he was in the UFC’s good graces even going into the fight. The title fight saw an announcement less than a day after the former champion confirmed a turnaround recovery from his title defense against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288.

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