Sean O’Malley believes he would beat most UFC featherweights but says he still needs to make improvements in order to lock horns with the top guys in the 145-pound division.
O’Malley has won three out of his last four fights, with his most recent one against Pedro Munhoz ending in a no-contest after an accidental eye poke at UFC 276. Often criticised for choosing easy fights, ‘Suga’ Sean is looking to silence his naysayers when he faces his toughest test to date in former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280 next month.
At only 27 years old, O’Malley still has a long way to go, and while his priority is winning the bantamweight title, he does see himself moving up to featherweight down the road.
Sean O’Malley On His Move Up To Featherweight
Speaking on his YouTube channel (as transcribed by MMA Mania), O’Malley said that he thinks he would beat most 145-pound fighters if he were to move up in weight today.
“I’m 27 years old. I’m gonna be in the sport probably for 10 more years. I’m probably going to bump up to 145-pound,” O’Malley said. “Especially when my jiu-jitsu is at a level that I’m like f*** with me. I’m very confident in my jiu-jitsu, but once it gets to a point to where I feel like Charles [Oliveira] on the ground, I’ll move up to 145 probably.
“I just don’t want to get — people at 145 right now are probably a little bit bigger than me. Even now, I go up to 145, I could still beat a lot of those turds. The top-top guys I would have trouble with right now, but it’s cause I’m trying to keep my weight down and low enough for 135. I’m walking around 157-158 right now.”
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