Sean O'Malley And The Superstar Life

Although he had believed that he was a superstar his whole life, it was that moment and performance at UFC 248 that solidified what the bantamweight contender already knew. He had envisioned it, manifested it, and made his dreams a reality.

“Yeah, that was a legendary one. Really every fight since that it’s felt like I’m truly a superstar,” O’Malley told UFC.com. “Every single fight I feel like I’m the main event, and I bet if you could statistically look at who the fans are most excited to see fight, then you’d have data to back that up.”

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The superstar lifestyle looks good on O’Malley, who has made it common practice to arrive to fight week in style. Private jets, exotic sports cars, and flashy outfits are the norm, and allow O’Malley to customize his fight week the way he wants it.

“Every single fight week gets crazier and crazier. I have the confidence to do my fight week like this because of the performances that I put on. I’m as good as I am because of the preparation and the performances I’ve had,” O’Malley said. “I could fly commercial and arrive in the bus and still go out there and do what I’m capable of doing.”

What UFC fans have seen O’Malley do is knock people out. He has absolutely dazzled in performances against Eddie Wineland, Thomas Almeida, Kris Moutinho, and Raulian Paiva. These knockouts helped push O’Malley into the bantamweight division’s Top 15 and landed him a bout with highly respected veteran Pedro Munhoz.

Taking the game at his own pace allowed O’Malley to build his skillset and star power simultaneously. That’s the main reason the 27-year-old feels this bout with Munhoz comes at a perfect time.

“The first A+ I’ve ever gotten if I had to give myself a grade. I think I’m in a perfect position right now. I’m only 27 years old, I’m not even in my prime, yet I still have a lot to improve. I’m good right now, but I still have a lot to improve,” O’Malley said. “Pedro has fought the top bantamweights. He’s beat some of them and lost a couple of them, only to former champions. He’s number 10 and I’m number 13 and it makes sense in the rankings. It’s the perfect next fight for me to get closer to the title.”

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O’Malley sees the fight with Munhoz as a tricky one, mainly due to the Brazilian’s trademark pressure and durability. He also knows he must be careful of Munhoz dragging him into a firefight, especially when he has a clear reach and size advantage.

In 27 fights, Munhoz has never been finished. O’Malley knows that if he can be the first man to accomplish that feat, it will go a long way in him landing a massive fight next.

And while that finish sounds like a perfect scenario, O’Malley is purely focused on getting the win.

“Ideally, I go out there take Pedro out, put his lights out, but I will be happy with the performance even if I get a decision over Pedro,” O’Malley said. “He’s such a tough dude and vet of the sport. Just a win over Pedro would be massive and I’ll be proud of myself because I put in a lot of work, but I really want that finish.”