“I’m the unranked champ” - Sean O’Malley jibes at Dominick Cruz and ‘Prelim’ Pedro ahead of their fights at UFC 269
Sean O’Malley has taken aim at former Dominick Cruz and Pedro Munhoz ahead of their fights at UFC 269.
‘Suga’ had called out both Cruz and Munhoz earlier this year. Cruz, in particular, has been on O’Malley’s radar for quite some time. Nevertheless, O'Malley's potential fights against either of them failed to materialize.
On that note, in an interview with The Schmo, Sean O’Malley jibed at both aforementioned bantamweights ahead of UFC 269. Upon being asked what he thinks about Dominick Cruz fighting on the UFC 269 preliminary card while he fights on the main card, O’Malley stated:
“Yeah, I think it’s just; he messed up. I called out him and Pedro Munhoz, and now they’re on the prelims. I guess it doesn’t really matter. They’re gonna get paid the same whether they’re on the main card or the prelims. I’m gonna get paid the same whether I’m on the, you know, [the] opener of the main card or prelim. So, as far as making money-wise, it doesn’t really matter. We’re getting paid the same. But for your ego, that’s gotta hurt, you know.”
Addressing Dominick Cruz’s UFC 269 matchup against Pedro Munhoz, ‘Suga’ said:
“[Dominick Cruz] being talked about like, one of the best bantamweights ever, and you’re on the prelims. I don’t even know if he’s headlining the prelims. ‘Prelim’ Pedro vs. Dominick, it just makes sense down there. They’re not, you know, I haven’t talked to anybody that’s like, super-excited for that fight. I mean, they’re both top-10, I’m pretty sure. They’re both like, I mean, I don’t know what they’re ranked, but I think they’re both top-10. Me and [Raulian] Paiva aren’t even ranked. We’re opening up the main card. So, I think it just goes to show – I’m the unranked champ.”
Watch the full interview with Sean O'Malley below:
Sean O’Malley looks to break into the top 15, whereas Dominick Cruz aims to reclaim UFC gold
Sean O’Malley is scheduled to face Raulian Paiva at UFC 269 in a matchup that’s expected to be pivotal in helping him break into the top 15 ranks of the UFC bantamweight division.
While O’Malley enjoys significant popularity despite not being a ranked UFC bantamweight, ascending the rankings would be paramount for him if he is to become a UFC champion.
Meanwhile, Dominick Cruz returned to the win column earlier this year, breaking a two-fight losing streak, and is on a quest to reclaim the UFC bantamweight title. Cruz is currently the No. 10-ranked bantamweight and will clash with the No. 8-ranked Munhoz at UFC 269 on December 11th.
Should O’Malley and Cruz both win their respective fights, they could possibly face one another next year. Whether or not this dream matchup between the two striking savants comes to fruition remains to be seen.