UFC star Sean O’Malley reveals what’s going wrong and Conor McGregor is part of it

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Zain Bando | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 8:44 PM ET

(via Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O'Malley has down a lot of self-reflection after suffering back-to-back losses to Merab Dvalishvili at Noche UFC 2 and UFC 316, respectively. Even though O'Malley says he has himself to blame, he credits a UFC icon for enabling his character-like behavior: Conor McGregor.

A former two-division UFC champion, McGregor has shared the same card with O'Malley, and each has their own fan base. O'Malley recently admitted during an episode of "Between Rounds" the influence of trying to be an Americanized version of "The Notorious" had taken a toll.

"One hundred percent," O'Malley said of McGregor.

Sean O'Malley Draws Comparison To Conor McGregor

McGregor-Instagram

O'Malley said he was inspired by how much of a showman McGregor was and wanted to feed off the energy when applying it to his career.

"The way he carried himself into fights, the confidence to say what he thought was going to happen – 'I'm going to knock this dude out in Round 2.' I got a lot out of that. I was like, 'OK, I can be confident like that.' I feel like I got lost, almost, in a sense, where I wanted to be like Conor too much instead of being like myself," O'Malley said.

O'Malley Wants UFC Validation As He Tries To Remain In Contention

Craig Kidwell-Imagn Images

O'Malley added the pressure of being a headline attraction during the UFC's lone Sphere event was enough in itself, much less trying to overdeliver in a McGregor-like fashion.

"I felt like I had to create something and I didn't like how that made me feel, in a sense, because I didn't hate Merab," O'Malley said. "I would have loved to knock him out...I feel like I made that one too personal, and I didn't like that – but that's kind of the only time I really forced anything."

O'Malley said the UFC doesn't have a "book" on starpower, nor is it something a prospective or green UFC fighter is taught. It has to be built-in, whether in the form of social media or otherwise. Although he agrees that he fits the promotion's ideal description of a star, he says living up to expectations of the MMA community's preconceived notions are easier said than done.

O'Malley's return timeline is unclear. At press time, "Suga" sits as the bantamweight division's No. 1 contender as Dvalishvili will defend his title at UFC 320 against Cory Sandhagen next month.