"We are so lucky" - Sean O'Malley gives credit to Dana White for not asking UFC fighters to get vaccinated

Sean O'Malley has showered praise on UFC president Dana White for not forcing his promotion's athletes to get vaccinated in order to compete.

Speaking in a recent episode The BrO'Malley Show, 'Sugar' said UFC fighters are lucky to have someone like White at the helm of the multi-billion dollar promotion.

"It's such a weird thing. I think Dana just came out and said, 'It's f*****g America. We're a free country. My athletes don't have to get vaccinated...' That's so cool... we're so lucky."

You can watch the full episode of Sean O'Malley's podcast below:

In an interview with TSN in August, White stated that he would not ask his athletes to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to compete inside the octagon.

"I would never tell another human being what to do with their body. If you want to get vaccinated, that’s up to you. That’s your choice. You’re never going to hear me say I’m going to force people to get vaccinated. Never gonna happen... I think a lot of people are doing that. They're telling you in New York [that] you can't go into a restaurant or a gym unless you're vaccinated and can prove it and things like that. Some people are getting fired if they don't get vaccinated. Yeah, that's not gonna happen here. If you wanna get vaccinated, get vaccinated. If you don't, then that's your decision, your body."

Catch TSN's interview with Dana White below:

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Sean O'malley will face Raulian Paiva at UFC 269

Rising UFC bantamweight prospect Sean O'Malley will return to action on December 11. 'Sugar' will take on Raulian Paiva on the main card of UFC 269.

In his last appearance at UFC 264, O'Malley took on UFC debutant Kris Moutinho and defeated him via TKO in the third round.

Paiva, on the other hand, was awarded a Fight of the Night bonus worth $50,000 for his last outing against Kyler Phillips. The Brazilian is currently riding a three-fight win streak in the UFC.