"They know it's a tough fight" - Sean O'Malley explains why higher ranked fighters don't call him out

UFC bantamweight contender Sean O'Malley recently discussed why top fighters in the division aren't calling him out.

In a recent interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA, O'Malley confidently stated that he is capable of beating any fighter who ranks among the top 10 in the bantamweight division of the UFC. 'Sugar' opined that fighters ranked above him perceive him as a "tough fight", thus withholding from calling him out to fight.

He said:

"Those guys, most of them see me, Aljo [Aljamain Sterling] gave me credit, you know he's the champ right now. He said I'm effing good...I think the top 10 guys, most of them probably know I'm, you know, capable of beating anybody in the top 10 but no one really above me ever calls me out."

He continued by saying:

"I don't know why. I don't know if it's a waste of time. They don't want to make an easy paycheck, they can call it, say whatever they want but I know I look at it is they know it's a tough fight."

You can check out Sean O'Malley's full interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA below:

O'Malley is one of the UFC's most popular rising stars. He has time and again proven himself to be a promising prospect in the promotion.

O'Malley currently holds a professional record of 15-1-0 and is on a three-fight win streak in the promotion. He last fought against Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 where he secured a stunning TKO victory. The 27-year-old is scheduled to face off against Pedro Munhoz at UFC 276 on July 2, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

---

Sean O'Malley's jiu-jitsu coach Augusto Mendes claims the fighters ground skills are underrated

Sean O'Malley is well-known in the promotion for his impressive standup fighting abilities. The fighter is regarded as one of the division's best strikers.

His jiu-jitsu coach, Augusto Mendes, argued that he also possesses an incredible set of ground skills that are not widely known and thus underappreciated.

Speaking of the 27-year-old's underrated ground game, Mendes has this to say:

"People [don't] have [any] idea how strong his jiu-jitsu [is]. They never had the opportunity to see how strong he can do on the ground, but they are gonna be surprised if the fight goes there... He's gonna be a different animal in there. He's gonna put lights out for Pedro for sure."

You can check out coach Augusto Mendes' discussion of Sean O'Malley below:

At UFC 276, MMA fans should expect to see a well-rounded performance from the star prospect as he takes on Pedro Munhoz in a bantamweight clash.