"They need stars" - Sean O'Malley weighs in on allegations of UFC rigging fights for prospects like him and Paddy Pimblett

Sean O'Malley is the face of the new wave of UFC stars, having captured the promotion's bantamweight title to bear the torch once carried by his idol, Conor McGregor. Meanwhile, Paddy Pimblett is one of the most well-known UFC prospects in recent memory.

However, both their career paths have been subjected to significant fan criticism due to the kind of fights they've been booked for. O'Malley, a striker, while currently a UFC champion, was not matched up with any strong grapplers or wrestlers up until he fought Aljamain Sterling for the 135-pound strap.

Meanwhile, Paddy Pimblett is a grappler with poor defensive striking, never tucking his chin nor moving his head off the center line. Thus far, he has not faced a high-level, powerful striker to test his vulnerabilities. This has led many to accuse the UFC of protecting Sean O'Malley and Paddy Pimblett.

During a recent appearance on the FLAGRANT podcast, however, Sean O'Malley defended (at 1:06:09 hours) the UFC's cautious matchmaking with certain fighters by asserting that the promotion needs to create stars and hit back against suggestions that certain fights are predetermined:

"I think once this next fight happens, plays out, I win, I will be the biggest guy in the UFC and by the end of the year, I'll be the biggest athlete in sports by the end of 2024, but I definitely don't think the UFC is rigged. I don't understand how that would be, but they need stars and I'm right there."

'Sugar's' next fight, which is booked for UFC 299 next year, is a rematch of his UFC 252 encounter with Marlon 'Chito' Vera, who handed him his first career loss. While he hopes to score a high-profile knockout against Vera, his opponent's granite chin could prove too impregnable.

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Sean O'Malley's boxing plans

Ever since Conor McGregor's boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. enriched him far beyond what the UFC is willing to offer its own fighters, countless mixed martial artists, including Sean O'Malley, have outlined their plans to pursue boxing bouts. This was only magnified by Francis Ngannou's recent bout with Tyson Fury.

After beating Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title, 'Sugar' issued a public challenge to the likes of Gervonta Davis, intent on boxing them after defending his title. He has also drawn the attention of Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney, with both boxers warning him against stepping into the squared circle.