UFC News: Sean O'Malley Doesn't Care What Weight He Competes In: 'I'm Bigger Than The Belt'
Sean O'Malley kept calm and chill after avenging his loss to Marlon Vera in a decision victory at Saturday night's UFC 299 main event in Miami, Fla.
O'Malley, who took the bantamweight title from Aljamain Sterling less than a year ago at UFC 292, discussed his UFC future, even beyond 135 pounds.
UFC 299 Results & Highlights: Sean O'Malley Dominates Chito Vera
He said he intends to become one of the sport's all-time greats.
"I don't know," O'Malley told reporters at his post-fight scrum about what's next. "We'll go with the flow. "If it happens, I feel I could move up to '45. I feel like I'm gonna get to a point where I don't even need the belt. I'm bigger than the belt. Having the belt, I'm gonna fight [a] main event at f****** 140, 142, just for f****** fun."
O'Malley said he doesn't value the title as much as his opponents and the long-term star power goals he faces.
UFC 299 Results: Sean O'Malley vs. Chito Vera Ends in One-Sided Masterclass
"The belt’s cool, but once you get to a certain point you can main event and just kinda fight," O'Malley added. Look, Conor [McGregor] was [145] pound champ fighting at 170 fighting Nate. I wanna get there.”
O'Malley joined the UFC in 2017 after a successful DWCS appearance and has been nearly flawless. His biggest win on the road to a UFC title shot was arguably former champion Petr Yan, whom he beat in a closely contested decision at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.
Only time will tell what O'Malley's future holds. But for now, the 'Suga' era has just begun at bantamweight.
Stick with MMA Knockout for more daily coverage of the UFC, MMA, WWE, and AEW.