"He went on a rocketship"- Sean O'Malley explains why Conor McGregor became a superstar in the UFC
When it comes to mixed martial arts, Conor McGregor is as big a name as it gets. The Irishman forayed into the UFC back in 2013, and the rest, as they say, is history.
While a legion of fans and pundits work overtime in a bid to dispute Conor McGregor's claim to the title of most well-known MMA star, Sean O'Malley is a staunch supporter of the claim.
While in conversation with Daniel O'Malley, 'Sugar' hailed Conor McGregor for his business acumen and athletic prowess.
What's more, he went on to dissect the Irishman's rise to glory and fame over the course of the latter's career in the promotion.
Conor McGregor a remarkable orator - O'Malley
It's no secret that Conor McGregor does just as well with a mic as he does with his fists. 'Notorious' truly does have the gift of gab, and when it comes to riling fighters up, the Dublin native is second to none.
Although he often tends to cross the line, fans are attracted to his PPVs just because of the way he hypes and markets the fight. The former double champ is and always has been the cash cow of the UFC.
"It was his talking. It was how he talked a 100%! The performances helped a lot, because he got signed and had a lot of hype going into his debut against Marcus Brimmage and he TKO'd him. Obviously that's going to put him on the map," said O'Malley.
Conor McGregor's tendency to emerge triumphant
Reluctant to take anything away from his skills inside the cage, Sean O'Malley recalled all his greatest fights.
The bantamweight phenom waxed lyrical about Conor McGregor's performances against the likes of Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier. The 26-year-old subsequently broke down McGregor's fight against Jose Aldo.
"(Conor McGregor) got the title shot, called out Jose Aldo, went in his face, made a big deal about it all... That's when he took that leap, 13 seconds," said O'Malley.
The Montana native then talked about McGregor's fight against Nate Diaz, where 'Notorious' suffered the first loss of his UFC career in the second round by way of submission. However, he mounted a comeback soon thereafter, overcoming Diaz in yet another headliner by unanimous decision.
Sean O'Malley went on to reminisce McGregor's historic feat of simultaneously holding two UFC belts.
"Takes another leap and then champ-champ, fights Eddie Alvarez, beats him; KO fashion. He just f***ing went on a rocketship," admitted the bantamweight stalwart.
For as long as Conor McGregor has been vocal, which has been the entirety of his career in the UFC, he has been on the receiving end of a lot of backlash.
However, his detractors were shut down soon after he made history and became the first fighter to hold titles in two weight divisions simultaneously. In a feat that was previously thought to be impossible, Conor McGregor put Eddie Alvarez to sleep to ascend to the UFC lightweight throne.
Say what you will about the Irishman; he is a showman through and through, and add to that his aptitude for violence, you certainly get one of the greatest fighters the UFC has ever seen.