When Jon Jones lavished praise on Sean O'Malley while comparing him to Conor McGregor: "He's really raw and authentic"

Jon Jones once stated that Sean O'Malley possesses the star power to become one of the UFC’s biggest attractions in the near future. ‘Sugar’ is widely regarded as one of the most promising young talents in MMA today, having quickly established himself as a standout with his dynamic performances and marketable persona.

Following O’Malley’s emphatic victory over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August 2023 to capture the bantamweight title, UFC CEO Dana White hailed him as the promotion’s biggest rising superstar, confident that his stardom is only just beginning to take off.

During an appearance on the Overdogs Podcast in August 2023, Jones also recognized 'Sugar' as a surging force in the sport and highlighted striking similarities between O'Malley’s rise to prominence and that of the UFC’s biggest icon to date, former two-division champion Conor McGregor:

"Sean O'Malley – I'm excited about him – he has the look. He reminds me a lot of McGregor. He's really raw and authentic, he has that kind of rags-to-riches story that everyone appreciates, especially in this country. I like him. I like him a lot and I really want to see how far he can take it."

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He added:

"He's young enough still to where he can take those leaps and bounds in his game. He's going to be around for a long time. To beat up Aljamain like that – I always put my money on the wrestler. O'Malley, he's looking like the total package."

Check out Jon Jones' coments below (47:00):

When Sean O'Malley overlooked Jon Jones while naming best UFC fighter

Last year, Dana White had become increasingly vocal in his public backing of Jon Jones, effectively sidelining current UFC No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Islam Makhachev in the ongoing debate over the greatest MMA fighter of recent times. However, Sean O'Malley expressed a differing stance from White’s assertions.

During an interview with MMA journalist Helen Yee in August 2024, ‘Sugar’ argued that Makhachev deserves to be recognized as the best fighter in the UFC today, citing Jones’ prolonged inactivity as a key factor in his assessment:

"Probably Islam... I think Jon’s fought once in the last four or five years. Jon Jones is up there for greatest of all time, but right now who’s the greatest… I think it’s Islam.''

Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below:

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Edited by Pranav Pandey