Sean O’Malley wants to follow in the footsteps of Conor McGregor

Sean O’Malley returned to the Octagon at UFC 248 after a two-year-long forced absence due to a suspension for consuming banned substances, and he says it felt like he was making his Octagon debut all over again. The Vegas crowd went berserk on seeing their favorite 'Sugar' Sean back in action.

Speaking to MMA Fighting, O'Malley said that he wants to go out there and provide some entertainment for his fans.

“I don’t think I really lost any hype going into that fight. It was exciting. I think people feel that certain way when I fight, and I’m excited to get back in there and make them feel that again. It’s powerful.”

Though the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has brought a halt to life as we know it, O'Malley is keeping his spirits high and is raring to get back inside the Octagon sometime during late spring or early summer. He hopes to fight at least thrice or maybe four times in 2020, just like former UFC Lightweight champion Conor McGregor said he would.

“I’m healthy – I obviously love to fight. We’re going to go back to the drawing board. I’d like International Fight Week, but it does feel like it would be a little bit too far out. I know there’s a card in San Diego. I think that’s like eight weeks. That could be a potential date.”

25-year-old O’Malley is undefeated in the UFC and wants to touch gloves with the best in the business inside the Octagon in the coming years, but he isn't looking past one fight at a time.

“I’m 25 – I’d like to fight until I’m 35 or 36. I’m extremely healthy and I could maintain that for that long. Once you start fighting the best guys in the world, you’re going to fight nothing but the best guys in the world. So I’m going to take it fight by fight, take it slow. I feel like my skill level’s there, my mindset’s there and everything’s there, but it’s a balance. Trying to make this a smart career.”

O'Malley revealed that he sees McGregor as someone whose career was handled brilliantly by the UFC and expressed the desire to follow in the footsteps of the Irish power-puncher.

“Conor's career, they did pretty well with as far as building him up. It’s a business. You’ve got to make as much money as you possibly can. So we’re going to look at it like a business and go from there.”