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Sean O'Malley recently shared his two cents about Merab Dvalishvili's high-minded refusal to fight his teammate Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title.
It's no secret that Dvalishvili and Sterling are close friends and training partners. The two often feature on each other's social media handles and have arrived as a package for many podcast appearances. Given their relationship, Dvalishvili has iterated time and again that he won't fight for the title if Sterling is the champion.
Responding to the Georgian fighter's restrictive mentality, UFC president Dana White recently lambasted 'The Machine' for putting his friendship with Aljamain Sterling over his career. White also asked why Dvalishvili wants Sterling to get a title rematch against O'Malley instead of calling for a title shot himself.
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sean O'Malley weighed in on the issue. The reigning bantamweight king sympathized with Merab Dvalishvili and said:
"I mean, I get it. I wouldn't want to fight a teammate. But I'm also rich and successful. If I wasn't yet, it's like... I don't know. It's a tricky situation... I don't want to fight a teammate... I don't know."
Catch O'Malley's comments below (5:40):
As far as Sean O'Malley is concerned, it seems the new 135-pound king wants to avenge his only professional MMA loss to Marlon Vera next. After beating Sterling at UFC 292, 'Sugar' called out 'Chito' for a title rematch later this year.
Jon Jones equates Sean O'Malley to Conor McGregor
Jon Jones believes Sean O'Malley could reach Conor McGregor's level of stardom someday and claims the 28-year-old could have a rocket strapped to his back if he remains consistent.
As mentioned, O'Malley recently snatched the bantamweight title away from Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in Boston. After the pay-per-view, Dana White touted 'Sugar' as one of the UFC's marquee attractions and saw O'Malley's stardom headed on an upward trajectory.
Interestingly, the UFC even uploaded Sean O'Malley's second-round KO on their YouTube channel almost immediately after it happened. While White clarified that the footage was uploaded by ESPN, who bought the PPV rights, many saw it as a result of O'Malley's fast-rising notoriety.
In a recent appearance on the OverDogs Podcast, Jon Jones implied that he saw parallels between Sean O'Malley and Conor McGregor and stated:
"Sean O’Malley, I’m excited about him... He reminds me a lot of McGregor. He’s really raw and authentic, he has that kind of rags-to-riches story that everyone appreciates, especially in this country... I like him a lot, and I really want to see how far he can take it.”
Watch the full video below:
