Sean O’Malley embraces moniker of ‘next Conor McGregor’

Sean O’Malley’s brash entrance into the UFC with his tattoos, knockout power and gift of gab made comparisons to a certain superstar almost too easy.

His name is being mentioned with Conor McGregor’s more than ever this week as they prepare for UFC 264 fights Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

O’Malley, who will fight late replacement Kris Moutinho, has never shied away from the “next Conor McGregor” moniker, even though he has tried to blaze his own trail.

“As far as becoming a superstar and becoming huge in the sport, it’s 100 percent an accurate comparison,” O’Malley, a 26-year-old bantamweight, said Tuesday. “We have similar personality traits as far as confidence, and some people just hate to see that.”

O’Malley first arrived on the radar of most fans when he delivered a spectacular knockout on a Contender Series card in 2017 with Snoop Dogg on the broadcast. The rapper screamed his name repeatedly and invited O’Malley, an outspoken marijuana advocate, to smoke with him after the fight.

He wasn’t shy about proclaiming his intention to become a star, and his performances have backed up the talk.

O’Malley is 5-1 in the UFC with three knockouts, with the loss coming after a leg kick hit a nerve and deadened his leg.

He was to fight Louis Smolka, but Smolka was forced out by injury and Moutinho was tabbed to make his promotional debut after several possible replacements fell through.

O’Malley now finds himself with far more to lose than gain as a -900 favorite.

“A lot of money,” he said of the benefit of taking the fight. “That’s about it. And I get to perform.”

It’s also a chance to fight on the same card as McGregor for the first time. McGregor will meet Dustin Poirier in the main event, the third fight between the two.

“It’s (expletive) sweet, but it’s not like I get paid more,” O’Malley said. “I’ll get more eyeballs on my fight, and even more people will see me. I’m sure I’ll get to meet him.”

O’Malley didn’t need to meet McGregor to learn how he operates. He spent many hours on YouTube studying McGregor’s news conferences and interviews.

“When someone makes noise like that, you pay attention,” O’Malley said. “I don’t know if I studied him, but I was definitely watching and learning things he did that work. I’m my own person, and he’s his own person. One of the things that makes him so popular is that he’s himself. I think I do a pretty good job of that as well.”

O’Malley also has found success inside and outside the cage with several endorsement deals and a popular podcast.

This will be his sixth consecutive appearance on pay-per-view events. The fight will open the broadcast for the UFC’s first Las Vegas event to have full capacity since March 2020.

“I’m definitely a draw, and they know that,” O’Malley said. “I think they want to open it up with a bang, and I’m the guy to do that. Vegas is going to be popping. They definitely did that strategically.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.