UFC is ready to break a rule for Sean O'Malley that they didn't for Francis Ngannou, but only on one key condition
Sean O'Malley is undoubtedly among the UFC's biggest stars and is widely known for his incredible striking prowess. O'Malley recently opened up about his career plans and revealed some interesting conversations he had with the promotion regarding his potential venture into boxing.
Over the past few weeks, the reigning bantamweight champion has been trading barbs with undisputed lightweight boxing champion Devin Haney on social media, and the two seemingly agreed to settle their differences in the ring. However, O'Malley later revealed that the UFC didn't consider Haney to be a big enough draw and wouldn't allow that fight to take place.
The UFC's stance in this regard was made very clear during their contract renegotiations with Francis Ngannou last year. The former heavyweight king notably left the promotion after being denied permission to pursue his boxing dreams while under active contract.
However, it seems the UFC is open to allowing Sean O'Malley to fight a boxer in the squared circle. While the promotion dismissed Devin Haney as an opponent, they recommended that 'Sugar' fight Ryan Garcia instead.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Sean O'Malley stated:
"I feel like I'm gonna box someday, I know that... Those guys aren't really pay-per-view guys. They don't really sell. They said Ryan Garcia... If any of them were ever to be a fight, he would be the one that has the most potential for me... UFC said, "If it makes us money, we'll do it."
Sean O'Malley next fight: 'Sugar' confident about beating Marlon Vera in their rematch at UFC 299
UFC CEO Dana White recently took to social media to announce three massive pay-per-view headliners for 2024. Among his trio of announcements, White revealed that Sean O'Malley will be defending his bantamweight title against Marlon Vera in their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 299 in March.
O'Malley and Vera last faced each other at UFC 252 in August 2020, where 'Chito' handed the 29-year-old his only career loss via first-round TKO. Vera notably struck one of O'Malley's nerves with a high calf kick early on, taking the Montana native's balancing ability and mobility.
In the same interview with Ariel Helwani, Sean O'Malley expressed his confidence in Marlon Vera not being able to replicate his previous coup and said:
"I want that fight. It’s just perfect. I feel like it’s perfect timing... I mean, I guess it happens every once in a while, that nerve, right? But how many times?... I don’t want to talk him down too much because I’ve got to build a fight, but I’m going to smoke this dude." [h/t mmafighting.com]
Watch the full interview below: