One of the UFC’s fastest rising stars is back on Saturday night.
Bantamweight contender “Sugar” Sean O’Malley is set to compete on the main card of UFC 260 on March 27 against Thomas Almeida. After earning a 12-0 record, including four victories in the UFC, O’Malley was poised to earn the biggest victory of his career last August.
However, things didn’t go according to plan for Sugar. He met Marlon “Chito” Vera in the co-main event of UFC 252 and lost via first-round TKO. O’Malley’s leg was injured during the fight and he was eventually finished while on his back courtesy of Chito’s ruthless elbows.
GettySean O’Malley (L) kicks Marlon Vera in their bantamweight bout during the UFC 252 event at UFC APEX on August 15, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Since the loss, O’Malley has maintained that the reason he lost the fight was due to the triggered nerve in his leg and not because of Vera’s skill. The injury occurred after Chito landed a kick to Sugar’s lead leg.
On Saturday night, O’Malley will have the chance to get back on track by defeating the Brazilan Almeida. Almeida (22-4), who started his MMA career as 21-0, is currently on a three-fight losing streak.
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O’Malley’s Not Worried About the Criticism He’s Received From Some After the Loss to Chito, Helps Him Make More Money
Since his loss in August, O’Malley has received negativity from some MMA fans online. But Sugar isn’t worried about it as long as the fans keep engaging with his content.
“I think there’s the true Sugar fans which are out there, they listen to the podcast, they follow the Twitch they buy my merch the true show the fan,” O’Malley told Heavy in a recent interview. “They’re like, ‘It’s okay, it happens, whatever, blah, blah blah, you got this.’
“And then there’s the casual MMA fans that are just s****y people that like to see people fail, that are usually insecure, anxious, depressed humans. They don’t like confident people. They don’t like people like me. So they’re definitely out there in the comments and everything.”
However, O’Malley takes all comments in stride, whether they’re positive or negative.
“But really, the more comments, the better,” O’Malley continued. “Whether they’re negative or not, sponsors come to me and they’re like, ‘Damn, you’re getting a lot of engagement, you get this many comments.’ They’re making me money at the end of the day. So, I don’t mind it. Obviously if I had to pick [if] there’s positive stuff or negative stuff on my feed, it would be positive. But if it is negative, I still get paid. It doesn’t matter.”
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O’Malley Views Almeida as a ‘Dangerous Opponent’ Coming Off 3 Losses
In his last three fights, Almeida has lost to Jonathan Martinez, Rob Font and Jimmie Rivera. Going into this fight, Sugar recognizes the high level of fighters that defeated Almeida, so he hasn’t taken the Brazilian lightly.
“He’s on a tough streak,” O’Malley said. “This is an important fight for him. He loses this fight, he probably gets cut. So, it’s a big fight for him.
“The guys he’s lost to are top dudes, he’s not losing to bums. So you know, I don’t really think of him as a loser or a not-worthy opponent. I think of them as a dangerous opponent especially coming off three losses. He’s extremely well-rounded. Good kickboxer. I think he’s a really good opponent. A good challenge for me.”
O’Malley expects the fight to take place on the feet but he’s prepared to use all his skills as a mixed martial artist.
“I think it’s going to be a kickboxing war,” O’Malley said. “He probably thinks that, too. I haven’t watched a ton of his fights, I don’t think he really comes out and wrestles. I think it’s gonna be a kickboxing fight.
“I’m prepared for an MMA fight. I grapple, I did MMA round sparring with [people trying] to take me down. I’m prepared for an MMA fight, I just think it’s gonna be more of a kickboxing match.”
When asked for his prediction on how the fight will end, O’Malley said, “I’ll put his lights out. I don’t know if it’s the first, second, third, but I do see myself putting his lights out.”
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UFC Star Set for Major Comeback: ‘I’ll Put His Lights Out’