Conor McGregor a big reason why Sean O'Malley may fight Umar Nurmagomedov next: "Imagine how jealous he would be"

Sean O'Malley invigorated his feud with Conor McGregor in light of Umar Nurmagomedov's recent UFC Abu Dhabi win and subsequent callout of 'Sugar'. Nurmagomedov defeated the No.2-ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision. The win will most likely propel the Dagestan native into the top three of the division and he called for a title shot next.

O'Malley, the reigning bantamweight champion, is set to attempt the second defense of his title against Merab Dvalishvili at the Riyadh Season Noche UFC event on Sept. 14. The champion reacted to Nurmagomedov's callout in a recent YouTube video. He took a stinging jab at McGregor, joking about fighting Nurmagomedov next, just to make the Irishman "jealous":

​

"Me vs. Umar next? #wewillsee. LOL. Figgy called me out. Ilia [Topuria] and Max [Holloway] are going to fight soon. Undefeated Umar [18-0] vs. undefeated 'Suga' [19-0], beat a Dagestani? I wouldn't mind that. That would be a real good was to get at Conor McGregor. Oh, imagine how jealous he would be? I might go through Umar just for that! Could be a massive potential next fight."

Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below (2:13):

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov handed McGregor the most high-profile loss of his professional MMA career in October 2018. The Irishman aggressively pursued the rematch. However, it could not come to fruition as the undefeated Dagestani did not accept the repeated callouts until he retired from competition in late 2020.

O'Malley and McGregor have engaged in a fierce online rivalry in recent times. Umar, who is a cousin of 'The Eagle' and represents the same camp, is widely regarded as one of the toughest challenges at 135 pounds. A potential win over him would give O'Malley boasting rights, especially over McGregor, for coming on top against an undefeated fighter from the Nurmagomedov clan.

​