"That's so legendary" - Sean O'Malley has his eyes set on having massive PPV numbers like Conor McGregor
Sean O’Malley has suggested that he’d love to become a massive pay-per-view (PPV) draw like Conor McGregor. A former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, McGregor has headlined several UFC events that have reportedly garnered more than 13 million pay-per-view buys in total.
Conor McGregor is also one half of the second-highest-grossing fight in professional boxing history, courtesy of his iconic ‘Money Fight’ crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017.
In an edition of The BrOMalley Show, Sean O’Malley and his brother Daniel O’Malley addressed the pay-per-view sales of a few recent star-studded UFC events.
They referenced UFC 276 headlined by UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in July and UFC 278 headlined by then-UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman earlier this month.
The O’Malley brothers alluded to the fact that despite featuring top-tier UFC superstars such as Adesanya and Usman respectively, the UFC 276 and UFC 278 events failed to cross the 1 million-dollar PPV buy mark.
‘Sugar’ then segued into lauding Conor McGregor for being an anomaly in this regard and insinuated that the Irishman truly is the biggest box office attraction in MMA today. Noting that he’d like to ascend to McGregor’s level of superstardom, O’Malley stated:
“I mean, it’s crazy to think any time Conor fights, that’s a million [pay-per-view] buys. That’s so legendary. That’s the sh** I want. That’s like, that’s what makes me so excited about fighting, and the career, and everything. It’s like, doing big pay-per-views, being a part of massive events. So exciting.”
Watch O’Malley discuss the topic at 6:28 in the video below:
Beneil Dariush lists the ideal opponents for Conor McGregor's comeback fight
Sean O’Malley is set to fight Petr Yan in a bantamweight matchup at UFC 280 on October 22. Meanwhile, Conor McGregor’s next opponent and exact comeback date remain shrouded in mystery. McGregor suffered a gruesome leg injury last July and will reportedly return from his injury hiatus no sooner than February/March 2023.
Earlier this year, UFC lightweight elite Beneil Dariush, listed a few potential opponents whom ‘The Notorious’ could face in his comeback fight. He notably emphasized that McGregor’s star power could get him any fight he wants, except a title shot, given that he’s on a two-fight losing streak. Dariush said:
"Just based on his rankings, I think Tony makes sense. I think Rafa [Rafael dos Anjos] makes sense. Because I think Rafa's seven and Conor's number nine [correction number 8] or something like that. So Rafa, Tony makes sense, if he wants to fight Nate Diaz, that makes sense. Because obviously it's gonna be a big draw.”
Watch Dariush’s assessment below: