Sean O’Malley admits trying to be too much like Conor McGregor in the past
UFC star Sean O’Malley has admitted that in the past, he’s tried too hard to be like former two-weight world champion Conor McGregor.
As we know, Sean O’Malley is a pretty interesting case study when it comes to superstars in mixed martial arts. While it’s undeniable that he’s one of the most popular fighters in the sport, he’s never quite been able to reach the heights that many expected. Of course, there’s still time, but he has a lot of work to do after consecutive losses to Merab Dvalishvili.
The heights in question, of course, was the idea that O’Malley could one day be on the same level as Conor McGregor. These two men have an interesting history with one another but one thing we know for sure is this: Conor is in a league of his own when it comes to superstardom.
In a recent interview, O’Malley gave his thoughts on comparisons between himself and the Irishman.
O’Malley comments on McGregor
“One hundred percent (I viewed McGregor as a role model),” O’Malley said on “Between Rounds.” “The way he carried himself into fights, the confidence to say what he thought was going to happen – ‘I’m going to knock this dude out in Round 2.’ I got a lot out of that. I was like, ‘OK, I can be confident like that.’ I feel like I got lost, almost, in a sense, where I wanted to be like Conor too much instead of being like myself.”
“That was my second title defense, and I was like, ‘I want this to be big,'” O’Malley said. “I didn’t feel like it was big. I didn’t feel like Merab was a big name. I had to force it. It was at The Sphere. I felt like I had to create something and I didn’t like how that made me feel, in a sense, because I didn’t hate Merab.
“I would have loved to knock him out. … I feel like I made that one too personal, and I didn’t like that – but that kind of the only time I really forced anything. The ‘Chito’ beef I felt was real. I didn’t like that. That was a real one, but the Merab one I feel like I forced a little bit.”
“I do think there’s an entertainment aspect that UFC people need to kinda do to become a superstar,” O’Malley said. “You gotta be yourself, and then you can add on to that a little bit. Yeah, finding that balance. There’s not someone there to teach you. There’s not a book.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
Topics:
Conor McGregor Sean O'Malley UFC
