Sean O’Malley has turn out to be one of many largest superstars on your entire roster together with his subsequent struggle headlining the primary, and maybe solely, UFC card that may ever occur at Sphere in Las Vegas.
Since first arriving from the Contender Collection, the at all times colourful bantamweight champion has drawn a crowd together with his enchantment rising greater and greater with every efficiency. At a time when Conor McGregor has been out of motion for over three years, O’Malley and some others have turn out to be large sights, however does that imply the UFC really roots for him to win?
As a lot as that narrative will get pushed at instances, not too long ago retired UFC veteran Matt Brown doesn’t purchase that the group as a complete desires O’Malley to win and Merab Dvalishvili to lose simply because it’s higher for the corporate’s backside line. Fact be informed, Brown is aware of after spending 16 years with the promotion that nobody fighter is greater than the UFC itself.
“The UFC’s having a file yr,” Brown stated on The Fighter vs. The Author. “Whether or not they’re quietly rooting or really rooting for somebody, I don’t know as a result of they’re having a file yr. They don’t want a single individual. They’ve obtained the model. They’re fairly set. They’re f*cking cool.
“Nonetheless setting information. The UFC is a monster f*cking model. They’re an absolute monster. They don’t want any particular star.”
It’s powerful to argue with that logic contemplating the UFC has continued to post record earnings year after year with out most of the sport’s largest stars competing proper now.
Whereas O’Malley’s enchantment and drawing energy are plain, Brown argues that if the UFC actually needed to offer him the perfect alternative to stay champion he could be dealing with lesser competitors relatively than a probably tough stylistic matchup with any person like Dvalishvili.
“In the end the one factor you’ve obtained to like and respect concerning the UFC is you do eat what you kill,” Brown defined. “You might need to do extra killing than the opposite man however you do get to eat it. Whether or not they’re quietly rooting or not, I can’t even speculate on that as a result of I simply don’t have any actual clue.
“If I’m Dana White, I’m quietly rooting for Sean O’Malley, too, however the reality is that they put the struggle collectively. In the event that they had been actually rooting for Sean O’Malley, they wouldn’t have put the struggle collectively.”
Brown says the most important benefit any person like O’Malley has together with his star energy is that he most likely obtained just a few extra alternatives handed to him. Dvalishvili would virtually actually agree after he needed to put collectively a 10-fight undefeated streak together with wins over three former UFC champion to lastly earn a title shot whereas O’Malley solely has 4 fights in opposition to ranked opponents in his profession.
“It’s very clear Sean has had a better path,” Brown stated. “I feel that’s actually what you get from having that stardom, however you continue to need to struggle the hardest guys. Merab simply had a tougher path. That’s the one distinction, proper? Or Belal [Muhammad], he had a tougher path. Leon [Edwards] had a tougher path then the overwhelming majority of men. I feel that’s the place it actually comes into play.”
Even when O’Malley didn’t have to leap over as many hurdles as Dvalishvili to get the place he’s at, the self-proclaimed “Suga Present” can’t keep on the prime if he’s not successful in his largest fights.
Brown is aware of finally everyone within the UFC has to face a frightening check and thus far O’Malley has handed each single one with flying colours.
“We go on on a regular basis speaking about how there’s not likely ‘deserving’ on this world,” Brown stated. “A variety of instances humorous issues occur, totally different fights get put collectively that shouldn’t get put collectively, all these sorts of issues however in the end for those who keep on the trail, you’re going to return throughout the f*cking baddest dudes within the f*cking world and that’s all there may be to it.”
In fact, Brown additionally appreciates that Dvalishvili didn’t falter in his quest to turn out to be champion even when it’s taking him so much longer to get there.
In reality, Dvalishvili’s win streak was so spectacular that followers pushed for him to lastly get his title shot whereas denying O’Malley’s final want to transfer as much as 145 kilos to battle for a second UFC title.
“Merab, you’ve obtained to offer him credit score, he earned the matchup,” Brown stated. “He mainly put the UFC ready the place they’re like Merab or bust. After you will have a [10-fight] win streak beating the fellows he’s crushed, you simply can’t deny the man anymore.”
Hearken to new episodes of The Fighter vs. The Author each Tuesday with audio solely variations of the podcast out there on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio
