Sean O'Malley: 'I Think I'm Close' to Passing Conor McGregor as UFC's Biggest Star

Sean O'Malley believes he is on the verge of becoming the biggest star in all of UFC.

Speaking to ESPN's Andreas Hale, the UFC bantamweight champ explained why he could be ready to eclipse Conor McGregor as the top draw in the promotion:

"I think I'm close [to catching Conor McGregor]. I think Conor still has one more big fight in him, but the big question mark is if he can come back and beat Michael Chandler. I think he has one more huge fight. But if he goes out and loses his next fight, that's like six in a row or something? [His star power] has to die down eventually. Maybe not. But that's a big testament to how big of a star he is. If he loses, I'm there. I'm the guy."

McGregor still technically qualifies for the crown because he's expected to fight under the UFC banner again, but the long-term outlook for the controversial star is impossible to predict.

The 36-year-old McGregor hasn't fought since July 2021. He was expected to return at UFC 303 on June 29 against Michael Chandler, but the bout was canceled on June 13.

McGregor claimed in a post on Instagram that a broken toe suffered during training forced him to withdraw from the fight. He was pushing to return in December, with Chandler accepting the bout if it was available.

UFC president Dana White said Tuesday on SNY's Sports Shorts (h/t Hale) that McGregor "will fight next year, early 2025."

The six highest pay-per-view buyrates in UFC history were shows headlined by McGregor. If you include his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, the Notorious has been featured in the main event in seven of the 11 most-purchased events in combat sports history.

That level of interest is a lot for any individual fighter to live up to. O'Malley is building an impressive resume with an 18-1 record with one no contest in 20 career fights. He ended Aljamain Sterling's nine-match winning streak with a TKO victory at UFC 292 to capture the bantamweight title.

O'Malley's first title defense was a unanimous decision win over Marlon Vera at UFC 299. He will be in the main event of UFC's first—and apparently only—event at the Sphere. Suga is defending the title against Merab Dvalishvili.

This does show a strong degree of confidence in O'Malley as a drawing card to put him in the top spot on a marquee show. There's no shame if he doesn't get to McGregor's level because few fighters in boxing or mixed martial arts have done that, but it would be foolish to put it past the 29-year-old given his track record in the octagon.