UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is prepared to go to any lengths to secure a bout with Conor McGregor, which could potentially become one of the most significant fights in UFC history.
O’Malley was a guest on Bradley Martyn’s “Raw Talk” podcast and shared that he is willing to increase his weight from 135 pounds to 155 pounds to arrange a fight with McGregor.
“He’s big nowadays,” O’Malley noted, referencing McGregor’s current weight.
McGregor, a former champion in two divisions, is set to make his comeback to the Octagon at UFC 303 following a three-year break, where he will compete against Michael Chandler. This fight is scheduled at a catchweight of 165 pounds.
“I’m pretty realistic when it comes to big guys. I’m like, ‘OK, I’m a 135er. I stay in my lane, and I do my thing.’ I could go up to 145; I’d fight [Alexander Volkanovski], I’d fight Max [Holloway], I’d fight Ilia [Topuria], but I stay in my lane,” O’Malley said, according to ESPN.
However, the prospect of facing McGregor is enticing enough for O’Malley to step out of his usual weight class.
“Conor’s one of the only guys I would fight that I’m like, ‘That motherf—er’s big,’. I would just fight him at 155. First of all, it’s a huge payday. Second of all, it’s Conor. That would be legendary. So, he’s one of the rare guys I would fight that are way out of my weight class,” he said.
O’Malley has long admired McGregor, but with O’Malley’s rising fame turning him into one of UFC’s top stars, the possibility of facing his idol in the ring is undeniably exciting.
He also suspects that McGregor might be envious of his success. McGregor targeted O’Malley in a now-deleted rant on the social media platform X, which initially focused on Ryan Garcia, who tested positive for traces of the banned substance ostarine following his victory over Devin Haney.
O’Malley himself tested positive for the same substance in 2019 and received a six-month suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
It could still be a while before a match between O’Malley and McGregor materializes. McGregor has to face Chandler in June, while O’Malley is expected to defend his bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili later this year.
