Sean O’Malley admits he was ‘delusional’ in thinking he could surpass Conor McGregor’s stardom ahead of UFC 324

UFC 324 co-headliner Sean O’Malley admits that one of his early fighting career predictions was a delusional pursuit.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is set to return to the Octagon in the UFC 324 co-main event this Saturday in Las Vegas. O’Malley and dangerous striker Song Yadong will square off with a potential bantamweight title shot on the line this weekend.

O’Malley is looking to get back into the bantamweight title mix after back-to-back losses to Merab Dvalishvili. But with Petr Yan dethroning Dvalishvili, O’Malley is back in the conversation to face the winner of the expected Yan vs. Dvalishvili trilogy.

Early on in O’Malley’s career, the elite striker was compared to a UFC legend, Conor McGregor. O’Malley’s brash persona and elite striking abilities drew quick comparisons to the former two-division champion almost immediately after he signed his UFC contract via Dana White’s Contender Series.

O’Malley went as far as to promise UFC fans that he would be ‘bigger than Conor’ by the time he hung up the gloves. While O’Malley still has time to make this prediction come to fruition, the former champion admits it was a dead end.

Sean O’Malley: ‘Delusional’ to think I could be bigger than Conor

During a recent interview with TNT Sports, O’Malley reflected on the big statements he made earlier in his UFC tenure.

“Looking back when I was like, 23, 24, doing those interviews saying, ‘I’m going to be bigger than Conor!’ It was a delusional idea,” O’Malley said.

“Conor is massive. But there’s still a path for me to get to — maybe not that level, but I want to be the biggest star in the UFC. We were on a rocket ship, came down a little bit, and now we’re on a trampoline. We’re either gonna bounce up or we’re gonna jump off.” (h/t Bloody Elbow)

McGregor is expected to return to the Octagon later this year, potentially on the upcoming White House card against Michael Chandler. He hasn’t fought in the cage since injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

O’Malley could eclipse some of McGregor’s stats by the time he retires, but surpassing his stardom is another matter. Regardless, his redemption tour begins this weekend at UFC 324.