“Who’s the biggest star in the UFC right now?” the American was quoted as saying by Blockasset. “Who’s bigger than me right now? Conor McGregor in fact, he’s not even in the UFC right now. You can say it’s Jon Jones, and I can agree with that, but he’s going to end his career in November. What are you going to say in December? Whose fight will be the most anticipated fight in 2024?”
After defeating Sterling, O’Malley said he wants to make his first title defense against Marlon Vera, who handed him the only defeat of his career three years ago. According to the champion, he still wants a rematch with “Cheeto” but is ready to fight any top fighter in the division, including second-ranked Merab Dvalishvili.
“I’ll fight whoever they want to fight, but I don’t understand why everyone thinks I’m afraid of Merab. I think Aljo is better than Merab, and I knew from the beginning that I could knockout Aljo. People act like I get to decide who I’m going to fight in every fight, but I always go out against whoever I’m given”
Sean O’Malley is currently ranked as the sixth best fighter in the UFC regardless of weight classes.