Sean O’Malley Ready to Overtake Conor McGregor as Top UFC Star

Sean O'Malley assumes he'll trade places with Conor McGregor with another loss on his record.

Craig Kidwell-Imagn Images

If the UFC rankings were based upon fame, Sean O'Malley would be up there along with Conor McGregor.

Of course, the UFC Bantamweight Champion still has a ways to go before he reaches McGregor's level of star power. He's now set to headline this year's Noche UFC (UFC 306), a special one-off event at Sphere in Las Vegas commemorating Mexican culture and its ties to combat sports.

It's the fight week we've all been waiting for! 🌞#UFC306 LIVE from @SphereVegas

[ @RiyadhSeason #NocheUFC | 10pmET/7pmPT | B2YB @BudLight ] pic.twitter.com/T6p2LBpJfh

— UFC (@ufc) September 9, 2024

In his third-ever main event, O'Malley defends the bantamweight strap a second time against Merab Dvalishvili after defeating Marlon "Chito" Vera in March.

O'Malley's meteoric rise to fame has been compared many times to that of Conor McGregor, the UFC's ultimate cash cow with devastating KO power that won titles in two weight classes. The ever-so flashy O'Malley is looking to replicate that feat himself one day, potentially moving up to 145lbs in the future to do so.

UFC 306 Fight Card Preview – Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili

UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O'Malley. / Craig Kidwell-Imagn Images

McGregor's "Big Question Mark"

Love him or hate him, O'Malley is one of the biggest stars on the UFC roster today, but that begs the question - just how close is he to Conor McGregor in terms of star power, considering the Irishman hasn't fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in 2021?

Not far at all, says "Suga".

"Yeah, I think I'm very close," O'Malley said at Noche UFC Media Day. "I think Conor's still got one more big fight in him because of the big question mark. Like, can Conor come back? Can he actually beat Chandler?"

While inactive for more than 3 years, it's not like McGregor didn't want to fight in that time. The Irishman spent time promoting his acting debut in Road House earlier this year before withdrawing from his UFC 303 headliner against Michael Chandler in the summer due to a broken toe suffered in training camp.

"The Notorious" reached superstardom in 2017, scoring a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather after becoming the UFC's first simultaneous two-division champion, but McGregor hasn't had the best run since, going 1-3 in his last four fights.

UFC superstar Conor McGregor. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

O'Malley: "If [McGregor] Loses... I'm There"

O'Malley thinks another loss for McGregor in the Octagon might bring him down a notch when it comes to their ongoing UFC popularity contest.

"I think Conor's got one more huge fight. If he goes out there and loses his next fight, it'll be like 6 in a row or something like, it's gotta die down eventually, maybe not," O'Malley said of McGregor's star power. "That just tests how big of a star he is. But I would assume he goes out there, if he loses, I'm there. I'm the guy. I'm the number 1."

Sean O'Malley hasn't raked in the many record pay-per-view numbers that Conor McGregor has set for the company just yet, but the 29-year-old did sell out Kaseya Center in Miami last March with his headlining title fight, though that's partially thanks to the event's insanely stacked undercard.

UFC 306 Fight Card Preview – Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili

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