LAS VEGAS -- Sean O'Malley believes he's very close to eclipsing Conor McGregor as the biggest star in the UFC.
The current UFC bantamweight champion will defend his championship against Merab Dvalishvili in the main event of Noche UFC at The Sphere in Las Vegas this weekend.
While the event itself is highly anticipated because of the massive production budget and is suggested to be "the greatest sporting event of all time" by UFC CEO Dana White, the fact that O'Malley was chosen to headline suggests that the promotion holds him in high regard. Should he emerge victorious, O'Malley believes the gap between him and McGregor will close significantly.
"I think I'm close [to catching Conor McGregor]," O'Malley told ESPN during Wednesday's media day. "I think Conor still has one more big fight in him, but the big question mark is if he can come back and beat Michael Chandler. I think he has one more huge fight. But if he goes out and loses his next fight, that's like six in a row or something? [His star power] has to die down eventually. Maybe not. But that's a big testament to how big of a star he is. If he loses, I'm there. I'm the guy."
McGregor has been out of action since July 2021. He was originally scheduled to face Chandler at UFC 303 in June but was forced out with a toe injury. An early 2025 return for McGregor has been targeted.
When asked what separates him from McGregor, O'Malley kept it simple.
"I fight, I'm active," O'Malley said. "Conor was good on the mic and he had a few good performances, but I'm consistent. Right now, I'm fighting a lot, so that's what I bring to the table."
McGregor was once a busy fighter. From his UFC debut in 2013 to 2016 he fought ten times, capturing championships at both featherweight and lightweight before venturing into a blockbuster boxing event with Floyd Mayweather in 2017. He lost by 10th-round stoppage but earned over $100 million. Since then, McGregor has only fought four times in the past eight years. By comparison, O'Malley, 29, made his UFC debut in 2017 and Saturday's fight with Dvalishvili will be his eighth fight in just under four years. Like McGregor, he is also targeting an eventual boxing match but suggested that it is not in his immediate plans.
"I do [think I'll box] but that's not my focus right now," he said. "I have a lot of big fights on the table after I [beat Merab]. I have said I'd fight [UFC featherweight champion] Ilia [Topuria]. There's Max [Holloway], Umar [Nurmagomedov] and Deiveson Figueiredo.
"There are a lot of options for me so it's not time to box right now. But there will be a time. Conor vs. Floyd [Mayweather] was requested by the fans. If I keep going out there and knocking guys out, it's going to get intriguing."
- Andreas Hale, ESPN
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