Top UFC bantamweight Sean O'Malley has missed Conor McGregor during the Irishman's near 18-month absence from the cage.
McGregor, 34, has been sidelined since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight last July. The former two-weight UFC champion was hoping to make a return at the end of this year, but his comeback has since been delayed to the summer of 2023. McGregor is yet to be tested by USADA since the third quarter of 2021 and will need to complete six months of testing before fighting again.
O'Malley thinks the UFC is less exciting when McGregor isn't competing as he said on his podcast : "I miss Conor. I was watching the best of moments with Conor against Chad [Mendes], Jose [Aldo] and Cowboy [Cerrone]. Even still watching it is motivational and inspiring, that guy took the sport to a new level.
"You feel different when he walks out, when it's his press conference, at the weigh-ins. Everything is different."
Who do you want to see Conor McGregor fight in his UFC return? Let us know in the comments section below
Since being signed to the UFC after his 2017 win on the Contender Series, O'Malley has become one of the promotion's most popular fighters due to his exciting fight style and eccentric personality. 'Suga' picked up the biggest win of his career against former champion Petr Yan in October and thinks he is just a few wins away from achieving the limelight that McGregor has had.
"I watched Conor blow up and it's so weird to watch it and be like 'I'm getting there'. I feel like it is different when I walk out compared to the majority of the roster but when Conor does it, it's even more different. I'm still a couple wins away from making it to that moment, because he had that 13-second knockout over Aldo and back-and-forth war with Mendes. Those moments were huge."
O'Malley thinks no UFC fighter has been able to reach the popularity of McGregor in recent years but is hoping he will be able to fill the Irishman's boots once he retires from fighting. The No.1 ranked bantamweight feels fans are now on his side and are hoping he continues winning fights to become the UFC's next superstar.
"I'm starting to think that people want me to win, people want a superstar," he told TMZ. "Conor's going to come back and still be considered the biggest star in the sport, but [fans] are wanting that next superstar.
"When Conor's gone, when it's all said and done, I want to be that next guy. I want to be that guy that everyone gets excited for, everyone and their grandma watches the fight just because."
