BOSTON – Sean O'Malley strolled into his UFC 292 pre-fight news conference with a tie-dye afro, but it may not even be his hair that separates him most from the rest of the pack.
From the start, O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has largely paved a unique route to the top, a somewhat fast-tracked process that has become the target of many detractors and haters – never more vocal than days prior to his UFC 292 main event challenge vs. bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC).
“I’d be lying if I said, ‘No (this isn’t what I expected),'” O’Malley told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday at UFC 292 media day. “It definitely feels like it’s playing out that way. I still have to get into an octagon with Aljamain Sterling, the best bantamweight of all time, and do that magic.
“I still have to go out there, perform it and do what it’s all kind of looking like is supposed to happen. I’m going to go out there and put his lights out. I still have got to go out there and do it. I’m 100 percent capable of that. That’s where I get that confidence from.”
Focused on the task at hand and in the biggest moment of his career, O’Malley could become a a mainstream star for the UFC with one more scintillating win. But for him, the pressure is off.
Doing things his own way built questions about his abilities, especially considering he is 1-1 with one no contest against currently ranked UFC fighters. It gave both believers and doubters something to discuss – and often times even argue about. The banter caused fans to be invested, and in turn for the UFC and O’Malley’s sponsors to invest in him.
So while everyone seemingly has an opinion about his abilities and personality – O’Malley seems fine allowing them.
“I don’t really care what people say,” O’Malley said. “It doesn’t really effect me. I kind of like being the underdog, being doubted. Going into this fight, I don’t have much pressure. He’s the bantamweight GOAT. He’s on a nine-fight winning streak and he’s saying I haven’t earned the shot. How stupid will he looked when I go out there and knock him out, not even have earned being in that position, and putting his lights out. It makes him look real stupid.”
“… If I go out there and knock him out and he goes up to 145, boom, I carry on what he was doing in the division, taking people out. If he goes out there and wins and moves up to 145, I’m the last person to fight for the belt. I’m the champ either way. I like this situation. It’s a win-win either way.”
In recent weeks, O’Malley and Sterling agreed to a bet on Instagram. The first fighters to secure a successful takedown gets $100 from the other – a seemingly random (and low) amount for two of the top prizefighters in the world.
“One-hundred bucks is a lot of money to him,” O’Malley said. “For me, I f*cking sneeze out $100. That promise sure made him a little excited.”
The point of boasting wealth by O’Malley wasn’t necessarily just a reference to Sterling, a fighter who has taken a very blue-collar and above-and-beyond journey to the top, but likely the roster as a whole.
“Everyone that’s talking a little bit of sh*t is all broke,” O’Malley said. “Those guys are just not rich. It’s simple. They’re just jealous. There’s nothing other than jealousy coming from their lips.”
While his road to the top has thus far been successful in the business world, O’Malley needs to win Saturday to take a big and immediate next step. He’s currently listed as a moderate underdog, and is fighting an opponent he considers to be the best bantamweight of all time. But that’s the risk he’s taking to check off the next box on his list.
“I’ve always wanted to be, and I’ve said it early on, a pay-per-view king,” O’Malley said. “I don’t think necessarily this one is going to do the most insane numbers. It’s not quite there yet. It’s building and building on track for that. I think this one will do well. It’s Aljo’s best pay-per-view. It’s just got to beat Herny vs. Aljo, which… come on. I think this will do really, really well. I think me vs. whoever I fight in Vegas will do insane.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.