That was the start of Sean O’Malley’s response when asked on Tuesday afternoon if he feels opponents and onlookers believe he commits more time to his brand and image than he does his preparations and training.
How To Watch UFC 292 In Your Country
Just like the bantamweight title challenger himself, it’s the kind of answer that will quickly divide the public into two groups: those that see it as cocky and continue to question whether the Dana White’s Contender Series grad is the genuine article and those that read it as him simply stating facts and believe O’Malley is poised to topple Aljamain Sterling and claim championship gold this weekend in the main event of UFC 292.
“You don’t beat someone like that without training and being as consistent as I have for all these years,” continued O’Malley, who edged out the former titleholder by split decision last October at UFC 280. “Petr isn’t a guy you just accidentally beat.”
Full UFC 292 Fight Card Breakdown
The 28-year-old from Montana has been a polarizing figure from the moment he stepped onto the UFC stage following a walk-off knockout win on the second episode of the annual summer talent search. At the time, O’Malley sported a mop of curls and a handful of tattoos, brandishing obvious upside while still clearly in the developmental stage of his career.
Since then, the hair has been grown out and dyed repeatedly, the number of tattoos has increased exponentially, and while the skills have progressed, as well, the level of competition the ultra-popular competitor has faced has constantly come under fire, as has his commitment to his craft.
O’Malley is 8-1 with 1 NC inside the Octagon, with his loss coming against Marlon “Chito” Vera in a bout where a thudding low kick deadened his left foot and left him prone to be finished, and his bout with Top 15 fixture Pedro Munhoz ending in a no contest after he accidentally poked the Brazilian veteran in the eye early in the second round.
Five of his eight wins have come inside the distance, three in the first round, and he’s stacked up bonuses, raking in seven post-fight awards through 10 fights. But of the eight fighters he’s beaten in the UFC, only Yan remains on the roster, and some wonder if that less-than-daunting schedule has resulted in a shiny record and flashy highlight reel that papers over potential shortcomings in his game.
Order UFC 292: Sterling vs O’Malley
“Petr was the toughest guy I fought,” O’Malley said, addressing the level of competition he’s faced. “That’s a pretty good opponent to look at and say, ‘Yeah, I beat Petr.’ That’s a very good win. He was the No. 1 guy at the time; 1-1 against Aljo in most people’s books.
“It was a legitimate win, but other than that, I would agree — I haven’t fought the toughest competition, but I beat Petr.
“I would say so,” he added when asked if there are people within the sport that overlook his skills. “There are some fighters, some coaches out there that see it, know it. They don’t follow the other stuff; they see the fights and they’re like, ‘Damn, that kid is good.’
“But, for whatever reason, people look at my hair and say, ‘That kid can’t be that good.’ But yeah, I definitely think I’m overlooked from my appearance alone.”
RELATED: O’Malley Career Highlights | Main Event Breakdown | O’Malley Coaching Insights | Countdown To O’Malley vs Sterling | Sterling’s Status
It’s not just the appearance and level of competition that leave the side that still questions just how focused, driven, and ultimately talented the bantamweight title challenger is, though — it’s also the way O’Malley speaks about himself and his pursuits.
There are times when O’Malley seems like more of an influencer than an Ultimate Fighting Championship title contender, and he’s the one creating and furthering that split in perception.
He talks about brand deals and his desire from an early age to be rich and famous. He speaks about his fights as opportunities to create viral moments and to add to his highlight reel, rather than chances to earn another victory and move further up the rankings.
He’s expressed disappointment when he’s failed to register walk-off wins or clean, effortless finishes, and, for a long time, refused to acknowledge his loss to Vera as an actual defeat, which prompted more questions about his mindset and approach.
For the vast majority of fighters that land in his current position — headlining a pay-per-view in a championship fight, one win away from claiming UFC gold — a question about how much becoming bantamweight champion means in comparison to his other stated ambitions would lead to a quick assertion that the title means everything and ranks above everything else, standing as the culmination of years of hard work and dedication.
For O’Malley, it’s merely a means of increasing the already lucrative branding deals he has in place, not that he necessarily needs the belt in order to be a massive star.
“The brand deals right now, the money I’m making in the UFC right now is all huge, it’s massive,” began O’Malley when asked about where winning the bantamweight title ranks in terms of his quest for fame and fortune. “Being champ? Double that.
“With becoming the champ, it’s more money, but I’m in a position now where I don’t even need to be the champ: I’m making good money, I’m gonna be getting the views, people want to watch me fight.
“But being the champ just doubles everything.”
Answers like that send traditionalists into fits, as they’re conditioned to championship wins being framed as the pinnacle of sporting achievement and the driving force behind everything athletes do, but here’s the real rub: there is a real possibility that O’Malley might just be good enough to be both the best bantamweight on the planet and a massive influencer focused on brand deals and creating viral moments.
Some competitors perform best when the lights are brightest and, thus far, that has been the case for O’Malley.
He stepped into the Octagon with Yan, facing the kind of challenge his supporters, his critics, and those that are agnostic in their position on him were aching to see and he passed, showing a different level of toughness and tenacity than he had previously been forced to exhibit inside the Octagon.
When asked what makes him one of those “rise to the moment” athletes, O’Malley pointed to his track record inside the UFC cage as all the evidence anyone needs, while questioning whether the same is true for Sterling.
“Every time I’ve been able to show up and put on a performance,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s the case for Aljo. The first fight against Petr, you could say he didn’t show up that night, he didn’t look great. He does that with me, he’s getting knocked out.
“Even good, healthy Aljo showing up, there is a good chance he’s getting knocked out, so you better hope he shows up.”
Although he questioned the performance of Sterling in his first encounter with Yan, the challenger does recognize that the champion is a dangerous opponent, and someone that people often misread when they try to assess what he brings to the cage.
“I think a lot of people think, ‘His striking is not very good,’” O’Malley said when tasked with identifying what people get wrong about his UFC 292 opponent. “It’s not technically super-good, but he’s very efficient with his awkward style. I think a lot of people go in there thinking they’re going to hit him easier, but I think he’s better than most people give him credit for.
“I don’t think anyone is questioning his grappling, his wrestling, his jiu jitsu; his abilities on the ground,” he added. “But I think he gets overlooked on his ability to take people down.”
In that response, another flicker of a more attentive, focused fighter than some expect shines through, as it’s clear that O’Malley has dutifully studied Sterling, wanting to give himself the best opportunity to walk out of TD Garden with the bantamweight title wrapped around his waist.
Even being asked about that particular moment presents another atypical answer, this time one that leans more substance than style.
While many talk about having envisioned the moment innumerable times or the inevitability of it happening, O’Malley is 100 percent pragmatic.
“I feel like that is something you can’t describe until it happens, (and) it hasn’t happened yet,” he said. “I can guess that it’s pretty cool, it’s amazing. It’s something I’ve got to wait and find out.”
Saturday night, regardless of what anyone thinks of him, the credit given to him or withheld, O’Malley will make the long walk to the Octagon in front of a partisan crowd in Boston, locked in and ready to claim the bantamweight title and make all of his dreams come true.
“I already I know I’m going to be calm and ready to go,” he said, forecasting what those final moments leading into Saturday’s main event will feel like. “You’ve got to be in a certain mindset walking to that cage — it’s kill or be killed in there, and it’s as simple as that.
“It’s not necessarily that simple to get to that mindset, but I feel I have a good grasp of how to get where I need to get mentally.”
And then, once the Octagon door closes, everyone will find out whether or not their assessment of him is correct or not.
Zac Pacleb contributed to this story.
