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Sean O’Malley has shed light upon his pathway to becoming the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion. ‘Sugar’ indicated that he could face Pedro Munhoz and Rob Font in his next couple of fights, adding that he plans to knock them out. Following this, O’Malley aims to KO Petr Yan, a former bantamweight champion who currently holds the interim bantamweight title.
Munhoz’s next opponent hasn’t been officially announced as of yet, whereas Font is scheduled to face Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC Fight Night on April 30th. Meanwhile, Yan is set to face reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in a rematch at UFC 273 on April 9th.
The winner of the Yan-Sterling rematch will determine the new undisputed bantamweight champion. On The Timbo Sugar Show Podcast, O’Malley insinuated that he foresees Petr Yan as the undisputed bantamweight champion. O’Malley aims to beat Yan to win the title.
Furthermore, referencing hip-hop legend Kanye West, ‘Sugar’ lightheartedly suggested that he plans to ‘go Kanye’ after capturing the title. To ‘go Kanye’ is a colloquialism that’s generally used to describe the act of an individual reveling in their own glory to an extreme level, driving themselves to the point of self-destruction. O’Malley stated:
“Last year, I fought three times…The higher up you get, the less people you can fight, you know what I mean? So, twice a year seems ideal right now; July, December. I mean, I could, you know, knock out Pedro (Munhoz). Say Rob Font beats ‘Chito’ (Marlon Vera); knock out Rob, knock out Petr (Yan), go Kanye. Peace.”
Watch Sean O’Malley discuss his pathway to capturing UFC gold and more in the video below:
Daniel Cormier on Sean O’Malley potentially becoming a UFC champion
Sean O’Malley currently holds the No. 12 spot in the official UFC bantamweight rankings and has been touted by many as a future bantamweight champion. O’Malley’s next opponent and exact comeback date haven’t been officially confirmed yet.
In an edition of ESPN MMA’s DC & RC Show earlier this year, MMA legend Daniel Cormier opined that ‘Sugar’ does have the potential to win a world title.
DC emphasized that O’Malley’s weight class, bantamweight, is tough and that O’Malley is yet to face elite bantamweights. He lauded O’Malley’s overall skill-set, striking, and Jiu-Jitsu. Cormier also pointed out that O’Malley is a big bantamweight. DC said:
“The question for me is, how does he do as he gets into the elite of the elite, because we just haven’t really seen that. Do I think he has the potential to be champ? Absolutely, but so many things have to go right to win a championship. I think that’s what people misunderstand.”
