Sean O’Malley, who has always admired Conor McGregor, resolved a recent conflict with him and continues to draw inspiration from McGregor’s career as he prepares for his rematch against Merab Dvalishvili by studying various past fights.
Sean O’Malley has always admired Conor McGregor, seeing him as a career role model. But recently, things got a bit tense between the two UFC stars.
It kicked off when McGregor mentioned O’Malley alongside boxer Ryan Garcia. This was after Garcia tested positive for the same banned substance that overturned O’Malley’s win against Devin Haney. What followed was a series of heated exchanges via interviews and social media. Thankfully, it seems they’ve patched things up.
Leading up to his rematch against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316, O’Malley drew inspiration from many fights. One standout was McGregor’s epic rematch against Nate Diaz in 2016, where McGregor avenged his first octagon loss. McGregor expressed excitement for O’Malley’s rematch, praising his preparation.
“Hell yeah, I’ll take it,” O’Malley responded to McGregor’s supportive comments during UFC 316 media day. “I’ll forever be a huge Conor fan.”
O’Malley feels lucky to have witnessed McGregor’s rise during his own UFC journey. “We’ll look back, he had one of the craziest careers,” he said. “I’m pumped the relationship is back to good.”
But McGregor wasn’t the only fighter O’Malley studied while prepping for Dvalishvili. He watched various rematches and past performances, aiming to reclaim the bantamweight title.
“I was watching Conor-Nate — and a bunch of fights, really,” O’Malley said. “I didn’t realize that moment got captured, but I’ve been watching a lot.”
He even checked out classic bouts like Chuck Liddell vs. Randy Couture. “I’ve never watched Chuck Liddell fights before,” he admitted. “It’s been cool.”
Despite the ups and downs, O’Malley still greatly admires McGregor. From his showmanship to his historic dual-title achievement, McGregor’s influence is undeniable.
“I’ve always taken inspiration from Conor fights,” O’Malley shared. “I’ve watched Conor fights more than probably any — well, except my own.”
Through thick and thin, O’Malley remains a fan, always finding something to learn from McGregor’s peak performances.