UFC Champ Sean O’Malley: UFC ‘Wants Me To Main Event My Own Show’

Forbes Business SportsMoney UFC Champ Sean O’Malley: UFC ‘Wants Me To Main Event My Own Show’ Trent Reinsmith Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Following Oct 3, 2023, 06:56pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 19: Sean O’Malley prepares to face Aljamain Sterling in the UFC . .

. [+] bantamweight championship fight during the UFC 292 event at TD Garden on August 19, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Zuffa LLC via Getty Images UFC CEO Dana White had high praise for Sean O’Malley following his win over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August.

With the victory, the 28-year-old captured the UFC bantamweight title, ending Sterling’s two-plus-year reign atop the division. After the fight, White said of the newly crowned champ, “We broke the all-time gate record here. Bruce Springsteen just played here and did $5 million.

We did over $7 million,” White said at the post-fight press conference . “The Boston Garden, the craziest (expletive) sports town on earth, other than their team that plays here, we’re the biggest thing that’s ever been here. So what does that tell you about O’Malley? This is also the biggest bantamweight championship fight ever on pay-per-view globally.

It broke the record – biggest bantamweight championship fight. I’m sure you saw the crowd at the end. “O’Malley isn’t gonna be a star.

He is a star. ” According to O’Malley, the next step for him is to headline his UFC pay-per-view card. “I really, really did truly want to fight in December,” O’Malley said during a recent appearance on the JRE MMA Show .

“Like when I called out Chito in December, but I talked to UFC and they kind of already had [plans]. They were trying to get Colby [Covington] and Leon [Edwards] together. “I asked them — they want me to main event my own show, which I think it’s (expletive) dope.

I’m down with that. ” UFC 292 had a second title fight on the card. The co-main event for the TD Garden show saw women’s strawweight champion Zhang Weili defeat Amanda Lemos via decision.

MORE FOR YOU Grimes Reportedly Files In Cour Elon Musk Over Parental Rights To Child The 2023 Forbes 400 List Of Richest Americans Facts And Figures Judge Imposes Gag Order On Trump In Fraud Case O’Malley’s preference for his first title defense seems to be to face Marlon “Chito” Vera, who is currently the No. 6 fighter in the official UFC rankings. Vera holds a 2020 TKO win over O’Malley.

The fight was O’Malley’s fifth as a member of the UFC roster. The loss remains the only blemish on the current champion’s record. O’Malley is 5-0-0-1 since that setback.

The current UFC bantamweight kingpin sports an overall record of 17-1-0-1. “I’m really hoping [the UFC] (expletive) just say ‘let’s (expletive) do it,'” O’Malley said about the Vera rematch. “I’ve still got to go out there and prove it.

I think once you become champ, it’s like are you champ? You’ve got to go defend the belt. You’ve got to defend the (expletive) belt, so I’m looking forward to that. ” Vera is coming off an August 2023 decision win over Pedro Munhoz.

He is 5-2 since he stopped O’Malley. Vera sports a 21-8-1 career record. O’Malley signed with the UFC following a win on a 2017 Dana White Contender Series card.

His first payout on that deal was $20,000 ($10,000 show/$10,000 win). O’Malley received a flat-rate payout of $500,000 for his UFC 292 victory over Sterling at UFC 292. Sterling’s pay for the event was the same.

Trent Reinsmith Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.