When Sean O'Malley honestly predicted how a fight between him and Israel Adesanya would go

When asked what would happen if he ever fought Israel Adesanya, Sean O’Malley had a pretty honest response. He thinks he’d get knocked out in the first round.

Sean O’Malley is easily one of the most exciting bantamweight fighters to come through the UFC’s doors in a very, very long time. While he may be some distance off from securing a title shot, one or two more emphatic wins for Sean O'Malley over top-15 contenders could really start to put the cat amongst the pigeons.

Israel Adesanya, on the other hand, is the king of the middleweights. He’s beaten everyone who has crossed his path at 185 pounds and, in the future, is likely to move up to light heavyweight again in order to try and claim a second strap at the second time of asking.

These two men will almost certainly never meet inside the octagon, However, last year, Sean O’Malley decided to indulge a fan who wanted to know what would happen if they did.

I get KO’d in the first

— Sean O'Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) June 28, 2020

Sean O’Malley has always been a bit of an outlaw and a comedian, but he’s also a realist. From comments like this to explaining why he doesn’t want to fight in New York City right now, he’s the kind of guy that has a good business head on his shoulders.

The same could be said for Adesanya. But you could argue that Sean O’Malley has an even bigger “star potential” than Israel based on their respective trajectories up to this point.

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Sean O'Malley looks to continue his bantamweight rise

While we know we won't see Sean O'Malley face Adesanya, dream fights are always fun to think about because most of them will never happen. Whether it be due to weight classes, fighting politics, or just because the timing isn’t right, we’re always left to wonder “what if”.

The primary concern in this case, though, is that it’s just an unrealistic fight to make. Instead, we’re better off picturing a world in which these two men are running the show at their respective weights - which isn’t exactly unthinkable.

Sean O’Malley has some work to do but he’s on the right track, provided bantamweight doesn’t get even more stacked than it already is.

Having defeated Thomas Almeida and Kris Moutinho in 2021 so far, Sean O'Malley is targeting a third victory before the new year. It stands to reason that it won't be long until we see Sean O'Malley fighting the best in the weight class.