O’Malley Fires Back at McGregor: ‘Might Just Whoop Umar to Make Conor Jealous’
In the world of mixed martial arts, rivalries often fuel the fire of competition, and Sean O’Malley is adding a new twist to his own saga. The UFC bantamweight champ, who is set to defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili on September 14 at UFC 306, has stirred up the pot by taking aim at former champion Conor McGregor.
It’s no secret that McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have a storied feud, a rivalry that reached a boiling point in their 2018 fight. Despite Khabib retiring in 2020, McGregor has kept the animosity alive, often lobbing insults at Khabib and his camp. Now, it seems McGregor’s old wounds have rekindled a competitive spirit in O’Malley, who has become a rising star in the UFC.
O’Malley, who admires McGregor’s career but feels slighted by past criticisms, has turned his focus toward another top fighter: Umar Nurmagomedov. Umar, who recently secured the No. 1 contender spot with a win over Cory Sandhagen, has caught O’Malley’s eye. The “Suga Show” is considering a matchup against Umar, and it’s clear that McGregor’s shadow looms large over this potential bout.
On his YouTube channel, O’Malley didn’t mince words: “Me vs. Umar next? Question mark, hashtag, ‘We’ll see,’ Lol. Figgy (Figueiredo) called me out, Ilia and Max are going to fight soon, undefeated Umar 18-0 vs. undefeated ‘Suga show 19-0, beat a Dagestanian. I wouldn’t mind that. That would be a real good way to get at Conor. Oh, imagine how jealous he would be? I might just go whoop Umar just for that reason alone.”
The sentiment reflects a deeper grudge, as O’Malley feels that McGregor’s disdain for him—originating from McGregor’s criticism of O’Malley’s 2019 ostarine suspension—has fueled his desire to succeed. O’Malley sees a potential victory over Umar as a way to not only assert his dominance but also to strike a chord with McGregor.
In a preview of his upcoming fight, O’Malley has shown respect for both Umar and Sandhagen. “Umar got the job done, pretty close fight in my opinion,” he remarked. “It looked like he did win, but again, that was a very close fight. Cory is, in my opinion, one of the pound-for-pound best guys in the world. For Umar to be ranked No. 10, a lot of guys wouldn’t fight him. So I’m not surprised that he didn’t really have that many high-level fights up until this.”
O’Malley’s admiration for high-level competition shines through, and his analysis of the Nurmagomedov-Sandhagen fight shows his respect for the sport’s intricacies. “Incredible performance by both guys really,” he said. “Cory did a really good job shutting down Umar’s offensive takedowns and wrestling. Striking was pretty close. Umar looked like he landed harder shots. Overall, that’s as high level of a fight as it gets.”
As the UFC 306 event approaches, the world will be watching to see how O’Malley handles Dvalishvili and whether his potential future bout with Umar Nurmagomedov will come to fruition. In the meantime, McGregor’s lingering shadow continues to motivate and stir up drama in the MMA community.
