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There was one thing missing from Sean O'Malley’s lopsided victory over Marlon Vera in the UFC 299 main event.
“Something about not getting the finish doesn’t sit right with me,” O’Malley said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It was just like, ‘f—k.’ But I also haven’t watched it. Once I watch it back, I think I’ll get a little bit more excited. I aways want to get that finish.”
To be fair, nobody has finished Vera in 33 professional fights. Still, there was plenty to like about O’Malley’s performance outside of that, as he avenged a previous loss to “Chito” with a striking masterclass over 25 dominant minutes.
“I knew I was better than this guy for three and a half years,” O’Malley said. “I knew the first fight was a fluke. I proved that, and it felt good.”
At the conclusion of the event, UFC CEO Dana White praised O’Malley, calling the Arizona native the biggest star in bantamweight history. Meanwhile, O’Malley himself was impressed with the energy inside the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday night, with dueling fan bases going head-to-head during the main event — and even during the pre-fight press conference.
“It’s incredible. So weird to be me right now,” he said. “Being able to stand there and listen to that and perform for the people. If it wasn’t for the fans, if it wasn’t for the media to cover this sport, I wouldn’t be in this position. It’s really, really cool.”
As for his own star power, O’Malley is confident he’s on the right track.
“I think I’m creeping up there. I’m getting up there,” he said. “At the end of the day, the UFC doesn’t need anyone. They’re gonna find stars, they’re gonna put on crazy fights regardless. But I think I’m working my way up to one of the biggest names in the sport.”
O’Malley hasn’t been shy about his desire to face recently-crowned featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. That doesn’t mean he’ll reject a title defense at 135 pounds against top contender Merab Dvalishvili, however. It just means he’s on the hunt for the biggest fight possible.
“Moving up to [featherweight], that’s champ vs. champ automatically is huge,” he said. “He [Topuria] just knocked out Alexander Volkanovski, that’s massive. It’s just an exciting fight. I’m here for massive fights. That’s what I want to be a part of. If that’s it, sweet. If Merab’s it, sweet. I like having options.”
O’Malley can already see a day when fighting for a belt is secondary. That’s what true stardom can do in this sport.
“We’ll go with the flow. If it happens, I feel like I could move up to [145],” he said. “I’m gonna get to a point to where I don’t even need the belt, I’m bigger than the belt. I’m the main event at 140, 142.5 just for f—ing fun. I’m getting to that point.
Sean O'Malley Believes He’ll Get to a Point Where He’s 'Bigger Than the Belt'
There was one thing missing from Sean O'Malley’s lopsided victory over Marlon Vera in the UFC 299 main event.
