Sean O'Malley possibly to get same treatment as Conor McGregor from the UFC, says Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz recently drew comparisons between Conor McGregor and Sean O'Malley regarding the treatment they receive from the UFC. Asked to weigh in on McGregor's much-anticipated return to the octagon, 'The Dominator' accepted that the Irishman would be a big draw against anyone.
However, Cruz believes that from a business standpoint, the UFC should pit 'Notorious' against someone he can defeat. The former bantamweight champ noted that the promotion could adopt the same strategy for upcoming star O'Malley.
According to Cruz, promoters want stars like Conor McGregor and Sean O'Malley to win because of the large number of followers they rope in. 'The Dominator' believes that people with massive followings, who also have a way with the mic, mostly get good matchups. The 36-year-old recently told The Schmo:
"You could literally make a fight with Conor and anybody. But from a business standpoint, with myself, you wanna give McGregor a fight that he can probably win. That's just all there is to it. That's what you wanna do with a guy like O'Malley as well.
Because of the following that they have, you want them to keep winning so the following grows and the numbers keep growing for the business. Guys with the big following that talk, they are the ones that get the good matchups most of the time."
Watch Cruz's interview with The Schmo below:
Sean O'Malley looks up to Conor McGregor
Sean O'Malley is one of the biggest stars in the sport today without even having been truly tested against a top-ten ranked opponent. Apart from his highlight-reel knockouts, 'Sugar' seems to have enchanted fans with his exotic hairstyles and natural flair for the mic.
The UFC bantamweight prospect was admittedly inspired by Conor McGregor in his early years. 'Sugar' also admitted that he got more hooked on MMA when McGregor took the sport to entirely new levels during his prime. O'Malley said during a recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast:
"I kind of started watching more consistently actually when Conor kind of blew up. So that was, like, someone I was like, damn that's kind of what I was envisioning me doing. But it's cool to watch him go through it. ... you know I've learned a ton from Conor. A lot of what to do, what not to do, but yeah, probably Conor was like someone I looked up to."
Watch O'Malley's appearance on The Pivot Podcast below: