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UFC bantamweight rising star Sean O'Malley is baffled by Kris Moutinho's rise to combat sports prominence after his octagon debut in July.
O'Malley recently appeared on an episode of Logan Paul's IMPAULSIVE YouTube show, where he gave his thoughts regarding his former opponent's ascent to popularity. 'Sugar' Sean said:
"Dude, (Moutinho) went from 1.5 thousand followers to 180 (thousand) or something overnight because he got beat up. That's not a good way to become popular. Not a good way."
Moutinho gained the sympathy and adoration of UFC fans after putting his toughness on display against O'Malley at UFC 264. Coming in as a short-notice replacement, Moutinho absorbed a whopping 230 significant strikes from his opponent before referee Herb Dean intervened in the dying seconds of the final round.
Like many, Paul disagrees with the bantamweight star's opinion. The YouTuber and celebrity boxer said the reason he and so many others admire Kris Moutinho is because of his unwavering spirit. Paul said:
"I disagree. Look, I disagree because it's like cool but it's also like you got your a** kicked and that's why you're famous. He's tough as f***. It's like a respect thing. You throw him that follow because you're like, 'Damn! This is a real motherf***er."
Watch Sean O'Malley and Logan Paul talk about Kris Moutinho below:
What's next for Sean O'Malley and Kris Moutinho?
Kris Moutinho will return to action for his second appearance inside the octagon on October 23, on the undercard of a UFC Fight Night event headlined by Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori. The fan-favorite will take on Aaron Phillips, who is coming off a second-round submission loss to Jack Shore.
Meanwhile, Sean O'Malley has been offered the chance to fight former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 268. However, Sean O'Malley revealed that he turned the fight down as he was uninterested in fighting in New York City.
“I said what I said on ‘The BrOMalley Show,’ I got into some trouble,” O’Malley said during an interview with The Schmo. “I had a conversation with Sean Shelby a couple days after in person, in Houston at the fights. We’re good now. He didn’t like what I said. I didn’t like what he said. I feel like I’m in a position where if you want me to fight in New York, and I don’t want to fight in New York, I’m not gonna fight in New York. I’m in that position, and I had that conversation, and we’re good now.
