“’Unranked champ’ just seems to make sense,” Sean O Malley describes the reason for fighting on UFC 269 main card and Dominick Cruz fighting in prelims

“’Unranked champ’ just seems to make sense,” Sean O Malley describes the reason for fighting on UFC 269 main card and Dominick Cruz fighting in prelims

Sean O Malley and Dominick Cruz

The ‘Suga’ Sean O Malley is going to open the UFC 269 main card in a fight against Raulian Paiva at T Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada. O Malley is one of the most popular fighters in the Bantamweight division and this is one of the reasons he is unranked and still fighting on the main card.

However, the fight card also features the Bantamweight contest between the former UFC Bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz taking on the number 8th ranked Bantamweight fighter, Pedro Munhoz in the prelims of UFC 269. In his recent interview with Ariel Helwani for MMA hour, Sean O Malley explains why he is fighting on the main card and Cruz is fighting in prelims.

O Malley says, “I let a little giggle out it just because I remember Dominick Cruz saying something, trying to teach young fighters how to promote, just something like that, how to do something, It’s Dominick Cruz, the dude’s a legend, I can’t sit here and disrespect him, but he’s on the prelims. The UFC stacks the card in a specific way for a reason, you know what I mean?”

FS Video
YouTube video

“If they thought Dominick Cruz and Pedro Munhoz could sell more pay-per-views than me, they’d put him on the main card. I think it’s just the UFC’s a business and they understand what they’re doing, so they’re there because they’re there.” {H/t MMA Fighting}

Sean O Malley seems really motivated by the fans calling him people’s champ

Sean O'Malley
Sean O’Malley

Sean O Malley isn’t ranked in the UFC Bantamweight division ranking until now but he is still one of the biggest draws in the division. Due to his huge popularity in the fans ‘Suga’ has been given the name ‘People’s Champ’ and he is really motivated by this.

He continued, “‘Unranked champ’ just seems to make sense going into this fight considering I’m on the main card, I’ve got Paiva moved all the way up to the main card as well and we’ve got two guys in the top 10 fighting on my prelims. It makes sense.”

YouTube video

“I think it’s my performances, I really do, all the talk, all the hair, all the whatever, the face tats, all of those things are just additives, I think. My performances, you just want to watch me fight. I move differently than people, I think that that’s what it really is. But I could be wrong. It could be my beautiful smile.” {H/t MMA Fighting}

Also Read: UFC 269: Raulian Paiva vs Sean O Malley Prediction, Odds, and Fight Preview.