Sean O’Malley presented a bouquet of flowers to fellow UFC champion Islam Makhachev.
Bantamweight champion O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), who will defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in the main event of UFC 306 on September 14 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, has a goal of becoming the greatest boxer of all time.
When asked who the best fighter is today, O’Malley echoed the judges in charge of UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings: Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC), who is tied for the most lightweight title defenses of all time with three.
“Who’s the greatest fighter right now? Probably Islam (Makhachev),” O’Malley told Helen Yee. “Jon Jones is one of them. I think Jon has only fought once in the last four or five years. Jon Jones is one of the greatest fighters of all time, but who’s the greatest fighter right now? If you were to say, like, who’s been around for the last four years, I think it’s Islam, but Jon Jones is always going to be in the conversation.”
O’Malley not only wants to be the greatest fighter of all time, he wants to be the biggest star.
“Right now, 100 percent, it’s Conor McGregor,” O’Malley said in an ESPN interview when asked who the biggest star is. “He’s a goofball, but that’s the truth. For me to get there, I need to go out there and knock out Merab, move up to 45 pounds, beat Ilia (Topuria), beat Max (Holloway) and beat Umar (Nurmagomedov). I’m three fights away from being considered the greatest fighter of all time, one of the most exciting fighters of all time. There’s a difference there.”
“Nobody thinks Conor is the greatest fighter of all time. He didn’t have the technique. He didn’t defend his title, but in terms of entertainment he’s the best in the world. In terms of entertainment he was the best. The greatest fighters of all time, Jon Jones, Khabib (Nurmagomedov), Islam, (all of them) are up there. I want to be both. I want to be one of the greatest fighters of all time and one of the most entertaining fighters of all time. That’s my goal.”
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