Sean O’Malley promises to be the sport’s greatest star by the end of the year

“After my fight with Marlon Vera, I plan to have one more fight by the end of the year and become the biggest star in the sport. Not just in martial arts,” the American fighter told ESPN. “I’m going to put on two great performances and become a big star like Conor McGregor. The UFC’s growth has been 40-50% since Conor was at his peak. The covid epidemic has really helped the UFC grow, so I have more opportunities to become a star”

“When I say things like that, people are like, ‘Oh, you want to be Conor.’ Of course he’s the biggest star in martial arts, and I want to be as big as him.’ But when people say that, it sounds a little silly because I believed in myself and I knew what I wanted to do before Conor even got on stage and did it. But the fact that he did it allows me to dream bigger. Like, if he was able to make a hundred million dollars, I want to make two hundred million dollars. His accomplishments have allowed me to dream bigger, and I definitely foresee that in my future.”

As a reminder, a title fight between Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera on March 9 will headline UFC 299 in Miami, while Conor McGregor is scheduled to resume his career after a three-year hiatus and face Michael Chandler on June 29 in Las Vegas.