Sean O’Malley declared his plans for 2024 and they are the big ones as the American aims to be bigger than one of the biggest names in the UFC’s history, Conor McGregor.
O’Malley dethroned Aljamain Sterling on August 19 to clinch the Bantamweight title with a series of ground punches that forced the match referee to intervene and stop the game.
On March 9, O’Malley will look to defend his title for the first time in the UFC 299 headliner. But it won’t be against just any other contender. Instead, ‘Sugar’ will run it back with the only man to defeat him in his MMA career, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.
However, his goal for 2024 is to be bigger than Conor McGregor, who became the “face” of the sport in little to no time in his early UFC days.
“I would like to get another one in by the end of the year and be the biggest star in sports – not just combat sports,” O’Malley said in an interview with Megan Olivi for ESPN. “I think (if) I go out there and put two beautiful performances together (in 2024), I will be as big as Conor (McGregor). UFC has grown 40, 50 percent since Conor was really in his prime.
“COVID really boosted the UFC, so I had more opportunities to go out there and be a star. When I say that, people say, ‘Oh, you want to be like Conor.’ He’s the biggest star in combat sports. Of course, I want to be like him. When people say that, it sounds a little silly.”
McGregor, 35, on January 1st, announced the “greatest comeback of all time” as the Notorious confirmed he will take on Michael Chandler in June 2024 in the middleweight category.
“I believed in myself and wanted to do stuff like that before Conor kind of came on the scene and did it,” O’Malley said. “But the fact that he did it, it allows me to even dream bigger. Like, ‘Oh, he can make $100 million, I want to make $200 million.’ I can dream bigger now because of what he’s done. I foresee that in my future.”