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UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald has revealed that Sean O'Malley's Contender series bout in 2017 made him fall in love with the sport.
O'Malley earned his first UFC contract when he first appeared in Dana White's Contender Series 2 five years ago. 'Sugar' stunned fans and Fitzgerald, who was new to commentary at the time, when he KO'd Alfred Khashakyan in the first round.
Speaking to Sportskeeda MMA's James Lynch, Brendan Fitzgerald admitted that Sean O'Malley's performance that night helped him fall in love with the job and the sport.
"Special for me is Sean O'Malley because the first contender series I called, he got the contract and got the big knockout. That was my first experience calling fights. I can tell you so much about that night because how important it was for my career.
To see what he did that night, he is the reason I fell inlove with the job right away because of how exciting he was... It's incredible to see what he's done. He's the poster child to see what the Contender Series can do for fighters."
Sean O'Malley is the No.13 ranked bantamweight as he heads into UFC 276. 'Sugar' will face his most formidable opponent in the octagon when he steps into the ring against Pedro Munhoz. Munhoz is ranked No.9 in the 135lb division and is coming into the bout off two losses in a row.
O'Malley is considered one of the biggest prospects in the UFC and has been allowed to thrive and build his record rather than being thrown into the deep end. The Brazilian will be the highest-ranked fighter 'Sugar' has faced, but a win for the American will surely put him in the top ten of the division.
Catch Brendan Fitzgerald's interview with Sportskeeda MMA below:
Sean O'Malley ready to make a big callout in post-fight interview with Joe Rogan
It looks as though Sean O'Malley is as confident as ever heading into international fight week with the biggest UFC fight of his career so far on the horizon.
The 27-year-old's last three octagon appearances have earned him two Performance of the Night bonuses and a Fight of the Night honor. 'Sugar' aims to extend his winning streak to four.
Speaking to BT Sport, O'Malley revealed that he doesn't have a name yet, but could make a big callout standing next to Joe Rogan should he get past Pedro Munhoz.
"I need to go out there and put Pedro's lights out or else it doesn't matter who's next, in the sense of who I would get if I win. I gotta go out there and win first. I'll have a name ready when I'm standing next to Joe [Rogan] and I'll call him out and we'll see."
Despite being relatively low in the bantamweight rankings, 'Sugar' is one of the biggest stars in the division. Should O'Malley defeat Munhoz, he could well turn his attention to the 135lb top five for some incredible potential matchups.
Catch O'Malley's BT Sport interview here:
