Sean O’Malley didn’t intend to start a feud with Conor McGregor, but as the saying goes, work until your idols become your rivals.
In May, McGregor unleashed a social media tirade, blasting boxer Ryan Garcia after he tested positive for the banned substance ostarine following a win over Devin Haney. In his rant, McGregor also took a shot at O’Malley, who tested positive for the same substance in 2019.
A few weeks later, McGregor retracted some of those comments during a live stream, saying, “I like Sean O’Malley” and explaining that O’Malley “kind of got caught in the crosshairs” when he was criticizing Garcia.
Despite McGregor's public retraction, O’Malley hasn’t personally spoken to the former two-division UFC champion but remains a fan, even if they are currently at odds.
“I jokingly on my podcast said we talked, we’re good,” O’Malley told MMA Fighting. “I haven’t talked to him since. I’ll forever be a massive Conor fan. The biggest fan, watched his career play out, watched every single interview possible. I learned a ton from him. He’s a legend. That’s it. It is what it is.”
O’Malley believes McGregor regretted his unprovoked attack, which is why the tweet was eventually deleted. McGregor tried to justify his comments by pointing out that O’Malley had tested positive for the same substance as Garcia, but O’Malley thinks McGregor realized his remarks were unnecessary.
“I tried [to hate him]. I was like f*ck Conor, but it is what it is,” O’Malley said. “I think he realized what he said was stupid. I don’t know why he tried putting me and Ryan Garcia in the same category. It just didn’t make sense. I think he kind of realized what he said was stupid and then just backed himself into a corner.”
Initially, O’Malley reacted to McGregor’s insults by rooting for Michael Chandler to “absolutely sleep him” when they clash at UFC 303. However, O’Malley admits it would be hard not to support McGregor when he returns to action.
“We’ll see [who wins],” O’Malley said. “It’s hard for me not to [root for him], if Conor goes out there, and knocks him out, it would be wild. It would just build another big Conor fight and the more Conor fights, the better.”
McGregor scoffed at O’Malley’s suggestion that he would win a fight between them, saying that’s not possible “in his wildest dreams.” O’Malley isn’t backing down from that prediction and wouldn’t turn down a potential fight with McGregor.
“I wouldn’t turn down a Conor fight,” O’Malley said.
For now, McGregor needs to focus on his return at UFC 303, and O’Malley has his own business to handle with a title fight expected against Merab Dvalishvili later this year. Perhaps this sets the stage for an eventual showdown between them.