“People think I avoid the tough fights,” O’Malley told ESPN. “Umar is probably the toughest fight, but it has to make sense. So far, Umar is not a star at all. I believe I am a superstar. I believe Cheeto is a star. I believe Umar is a potential star, literally because he has the last name Nurmagomedov. I’ve never watched any of his fights, only the highlights. He’s very well trained, he trains in a good gym, his last name is Nurmagomedov, and he’s Russian. Because of all that, he has potential.”
“The UFC can promote certain people with name and skills and he’s from Khabib Nurmagomedov’s gym – they train together and he has him in his corner. O’Malley is Irish, so there’s something to that. If he can be a star, that’s the fight I want. I don’t want easy fights. I want big fights, and if I have two guys to choose from, one of which is a little bit better, I’m going to pick him.”
Umar Nurmagomedov recorded his fifth win under the UFC banner this past weekend, winning a unanimous decision over the organization’s debutant Bekzat Almakhan, while Sean O’Malley will make his title defense against Marlon Vera on March 9 at UFC 299 in Miami.