"But the UFC said no to that" - Brian Kelleher clarifies why his potential fight with Sean O'Malley at UFC 264 fell apart
Brian Kelleher was one of the many fighters who volunteered to fight Sean O'Malley at UFC 264 following the withdrawal of Louis Smolka.
However, the 34-year-old failed to work out a deal that would have seen him featured on a Conor McGregor card.
Initially, Kelleher didn't disclose why his potential fight with O'Malley fell through. Now, 'Boom' has suggested that the UFC didn't entertain the idea of him challenging 'Sugar' since he has a scheduled fight at the August 21 event.
Kelleher noted that he was willing to fight Sean O'Malley at featherweight, which the 13-1 fighter had no problem with. However, the UFC remained doubtful of their matchup.
"Here’s what happened. O’Malley went on to say he would be down to fight a bantamweight at 145 if someone stepped up 9 days notice. I said I was in at 145 but the UFC said no to that. Then I was told his team was told I’m already under contract to fight Aug 21 which I am… but I figured they would be able to work that out if they really wanted me to fight him. As far as I know, his team and coach even said they wanted to fight me but somehow it didn’t get done," read Kelleher's tweets.
Kelleher is currently 6-5 in the UFC. Having made his promotional debut in 2017, he has finished five of his opponents since. He is expected to fight Domingo Pilarte next month.
Brian Kelleher wasn't the only one to call out Sean O'Malley for UFC 264 showdown
Sean O'Malley's original opponent, Louis Smolka, was forced to withdraw from the fight after he suffered a staph infection. Following which, a slew of bantamweights jumped at the opportunity to take on O'Malley.
One of the brightest prospects in the bantamweight division, Merab Dvalishvili, called out O'Malley and expressed interest in fighting him. The tenth-ranked bantamweight also said he'll not back out of his UFC 266 fight against Marlon Moraes in September.
Former LFA bantamweight champion Ricky Simon was also willing to take on Sean O'Malley. However, the 28-year-old apparently said he won't be able to make weight.
Although Ray Borg is no longer part of UFC's roster, he didn't shy away from calling out O'Malley. 'The Tazmexican Devil' has a history of failing to make weight, but this time he appeared confident in doing so on short notice.