UFC standout Sean O’Malley has always openly acknowledged Conor McGregor as a major influence and someone he aspired to emulate. However, the two prominent fighters recently experienced a period of tension in their relationship.
The friction began when McGregor mentioned O’Malley in connection with boxer Ryan Garcia, following Garcia`s positive test for the same banned substance that O’Malley had previously tested positive for, leading to his win against Devin Haney being changed to a no-contest. This sparked an exchange of sharp words between O’Malley and McGregor through interviews and social media. It now seems the disagreement has been resolved and they have put the past behind them.
As part of his preparation for the upcoming rematch against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316, O’Malley reviewed numerous fights for inspiration. Among these was McGregor’s highly acclaimed rematch against Nate Diaz in 2016, where the former two-division champion avenged his initial UFC loss. McGregor later commented, expressing his excitement for O’Malley’s rematch and commending his similar approach to preparation, referencing his own experience avenging the loss to Diaz.
Responding to McGregor’s positive comments during the UFC 316 media day, O’Malley stated, “Hell yeah, I’ll take it. I’ll forever be a huge Conor fan.”
He added, “I feel grateful to be able to watch his come up in my generation, I watched it happen. I think we’ll look back, he had one of the craziest careers. It’s cool to be able to watch it happen while I was getting into the UFC and everything. I’m pumped the relationship is back to good.”
O’Malley clarified that McGregor wasn`t the only fighter he studied while getting ready to face Dvalishvili this Saturday.
While McGregor vs. Diaz 2 was definitely on his viewing list, O’Malley mentioned that he was analyzing various other rematches and past fighter performances to draw inspiration for his goal of defeating Dvalishvili and reclaiming the bantamweight title.
“So I was watching Conor-Nate — I’ve just been watching a bunch of fights, we just have cameras recording so much, I didn’t realize that was a moment that got captured,” O’Malley explained. “I’ve been watching a bunch of fights.”
He continued, “I’ve been watching some rematches, watched Chuck [Liddell] versus Randy [Couture]. I’ve never watched Chuck Liddell fights. Obviously, I knew who he was, but I’ve never [watched his fights]. So I’ve been watching a lot of old school fights, it’s been cool.”
Despite studying other fighters, O’Malley retains significant respect for McGregor, particularly for his achievement of becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously by winning both the lightweight and featherweight belts.
From his charismatic presence outside the octagon to his explosive performances inside it, O’Malley believes there is always valuable insight to be gained from observing McGregor at his peak.
“I’ve always taken inspiration from Conor fights,” O’Malley affirmed. “I’ve watched Conor fights more than probably any [fights] — well [I watch] my fights more — but I’ve watched a lot of Conor fights.”
