While Sean O'Malley is not yet back to full training, he's eager for the chance to be in the main event of UFC 296 alongside Conor McGregor.
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While Sean O’Malley is not yet back to full training, he’s eager for the chance to be in the main event of UFC 296 alongside Conor McGregor.
“I think it would be massive, me and Conor on a pay-per-view,” O’Malley said Thursday on his eponymous podcast. “But also, I could do my own pay-per-view and Conor could do his own PPV, and mine wouldn’t be as big yet. But I could do one of the biggest PPVs in the UFC right now.”
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Henry Cejudo, the former two-division champion, alleged that Sean O’Malley’s title-winning bout against Aljamain Sterling amassed a viewership of approximately 300,000 to 350,000 buys for the UFC 292 pay-per-view. Cejudo based this on information from an insider at the UFC’s broadcast partner, ESPN. However, as PPV figures are not publicly disclosed, these numbers remain unverified. O’Malley responded on Twitter, disputing the claims and engaging in a social media exchange with Cejudo.
“Henry sayin Me and Aljo “only” did 350k ppv according to his (girlfriend ) source. I just talked to the ufc and I heard upwards of 570k … legit no kizzy not making this up heard Aljo vs Henry did 135k. Also Henry 5’2 lol,” O’Malley tweeted.
On Friday, Sean O’Malley is set to journey to Las Vegas for a rendezvous with UFC President Dana White and matchmaker Sean Shelby. However, he clarified that this meeting is more about personal matters than business.
“I still haven’t heard anything about pay-per-view numbers for the Aljo/Suga Sean fight,” he said. “Maybe I’ll hear about that from the UFC and see what they say. I haven’t heard any numbers get released. … If it did like [750,000], I’d be like, ‘Damn, that’s pretty f****** sweet for headlining my first PPV.’”
McGregor shared a screenshot on social media, which was later confirmed by White to be fabricated, showing a UFC Fight Pass graphic promoting a bout between him and his opposing coach from The Ultimate Fighter 31, Michael Chandler, at UFC 296. This hypothetical matchup would imply that the promotion had secured an exemption for the former two-division champion from the mandatory six-month drug testing window required for fighters re-entering the anti-doping program monitored by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
White didn’t outright reject the notion, stating that they’ll evaluate the UFC 296 card as it progresses. However, O’Malley pointed out that having both him and McGregor in the main event would come at a significant cost to the promotion, which would have to split revenue between the two headliners.
O’Malley hasn’t resumed training yet due to a rib injury he sustained before his victory over Sterling. Additionally, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with a “turf foot” injury, which occurred when he accidentally kicked a sparring partner’s elbow. This condition requires some time to heal naturally.
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