UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley will do whatever it takes to secure what could be one of the biggest fights in UFC history against Conor McGregor.
O'Malley appeared on Bradley Martin's Raw Talk podcast and revealed that he plans to move up from 135 pounds to 155 pounds to secure a fight with McGregor.
“He's gotten bigger lately,” O'Malley said of McGregor's current weight.
McGregor, a former two-division champion, will return to the Octagon for the first time in three years at UFC 303, taking on Michael Chandler. The bout will be contested at a catchweight of 165 pounds.
“I'm pretty realistic when it comes to big men,” O'Malley said. “It's like, 'Okay, I'm a 135er. I'm going to stay in my lane and do what I need to do.'” I can fight up to 145. [Alexander Volkanovski]I'll fight Max. [Holloway]I would fight Ilia [Topuria], but I stay in my lane. ”
But the idea of facing McGregor was intriguing enough for O'Malley to stray from Lane.
“Conor is one of the only guys I fight that makes me think, 'That mother is great,'” O'Malley said. “I'm just going to fight him at 155. First of all, it's a huge paycheck. Second, it's Conor. It's going to be a legend. So he's one of the few guys that I'm going to fight. He is far above my rank.''
It's no secret that O'Malley admires McGregor. But with O'Malley's popularity skyrocketing and him becoming one of the UFC's biggest draws, the idea that his idol could become his rival is certainly appealing.
Needless to say, O'Malley believes McGregor is jealous of him.
“To be honest, I kind of want to hate him,” O'Malley said, adding that he had sent messages to McGregor to anger him. “I think there was a lot of jealousy. With such a big ego, he understands what's going on. He sees himself starting to get pushed out. I'm starting to stand up.”
O'Malley was the target of McGregor's (now deleted) rant on social media platform He was aiming at Ryan Garcia, who showed the following. O'Malley tested positive for the substance in 2019 and was suspended for six months by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
“There's no other reason he's talking about me,” O'Malley said. “I've never said anything but praise him. You know, I've always respected him and I want to hate him, but it's hard.”
It may be a while before the possibility of an O'Malley vs. McGregor fight materializes. McGregor will first face Chandler in June, while O'Malley will likely defend his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili later this year.