Not many people gave Sean O’Malley much chance to come out the victor against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292, but he did just that, and in impressive style against the man many consider the best UFC Bantamweight of all time. There was magic in the crowd and Octagon this past Saturday as the UFC returned to the feisty Boston, Massachusetts.
Being a UFC champion brings a new level of attention and stress to fighters. More media obligations, more invasion from the press, and much less privacy. O’Malley thinks he will transition into this new chapter with ease as he was already a big name in combat sports:
”The difference between me becoming champ and everyone else? I’ve been the champ. What I mean by that, humbly, is I’ve been rich, I’ve been financially successful, I’ve been getting interviews from everyone. Now that I’m champ, it’s not like I’m all of a sudden rich, popular, and famous. I’ve been that. My life hasn’t changed really at all” said O’Malley on his YouTube channel .
The UFC took the unusual step of uploading footage of O’Malley’s knockout over Sterling to their YouTube channel almost immediately following the fight. It’s rumored to be the first time the UFC has done this so soon after a pay-per-view fight, so why did they? They realize that O’Malley was a huge star even before UFC 292. Last week’s victory has boosted his profile no-end, and Suga Sean has established himself as one of the biggest stars in the sport, only behind a select few such as McGregor, Jones, Adesanya, and maybe one or two others. The more eyes on him, the better.
Since the UFC 292 main event video was uploaded to YouTube, it has 8.1 million views at the time of writing – in just four days. O’Malley is marketable, his fighting style exciting, and his appearance is memorable. He ticks all the boxes regarding factors needed to be a bonafide star in the sport, and having the UFC Bantamweight belt strapped around his waist only adds to his star power.
What’s next for Sean O’Malley?
Suga Sean has every intention of fighting again in 2023 and is targeting a December bout for his first title defense, potentially as the co-main event on a Vegas card headlined by the return of Conor McGregor versus his fellow Ultimate Fighter coach, Michael Chandler. Such a card would depend on the status of McGregor’s status with USADA regarding his drug-testing obligations and how O’Malley’s recovery from his ongoing rib injury goes. If the stars align, it would be a mammoth pay-per-view event to end the year, one of the biggest in UFC’s history.
Should McGregor not return in December, another fight being touted for the end of the year is Leon Edwards versus Colby Covington for the UFC Welterweight title. We’re still four months away, so it’s purely guesswork at this point. The UFC likes to see the year out with a bang, so having two title fights on a December card, like we saw this previous Saturday at UFC 292, isn’t out of the question. Dana White also likes fighters willing to fight regularly, so O’Malley’s wish to step back in the Octagon before the year’s end will probably be granted.
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