Urijah Faber thinks that Sean O’Malley becoming the UFC bantamweight champion is a positive development for the division.
O’Malley secured the title with a second-round TKO over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in Boston. Some had doubts about O’Malley’s suitability for the fight due to the different styles of Sterling and O’Malley, but Faber always had faith in “Sugar’s” determination to achieve UFC gold.
Faber told MMA Fighting, “This is a huge step forward for this division. We need a star, and he’s the star right now. People always try to discredit it, and I was like, ‘Oh, the only thing that’s going to get you a title shot is that he’s like that.’ , blah, blah, whatever.” I’ve always said that people underestimate Sean O’Malley because he’s fun, relaxed, weird, and doesn’t look like the character.
“When Takanori Gomi was submitted” [at Quintet Ultra]A high-level wrestler and a high-level Jiu-Jitsu competitor, O’Malley did it with style and comfort — I went out and watched Sean live when he was still suspended. As a person, he is very calculating and calm, and the conversations I have had with him are very calculating and calm. I thought he had an advantage because he had a dollar sign attached to him, but he’s legit.”
O’Malley secured a shot at the championship with a close split decision win over former champion Petr Yan at UFC 280 in October 2022.
Sterling aimed to become the first fighter in bantamweight history to defend his title four times in a row and enhance his impressive record. However, there was a certain feeling during the fight week in Boston that indicated O’Malley’s determination. Combine that with Faber’s perspective on O’Malley’s overall skills, and Sterling faced a formidable challenge.
“Initially, I didn’t necessarily think he would surpass Petr Yan, but it was still a close fight so it could have gone either way,” Faber explained.
“And I knew that there was really only one way for Aljamain to win that fight, and that he was in the danger zone until that happened. So I wasn’t that surprised. [that O’Malley won]. Arjo is a huge fighter in this division, so that was the only thing I thought he had on his side. But other than that, O’Malley is a true fighter. He is a pinpoint puncher, long and lanky yet very well-rounded. That’s rare.
“He and Sandhagen have something in common, being very collaborative guys. And sometimes the stars have to align. It happened to me a little bit, it happened to Conor. [McGregor], some battles have to go your way, but then everything falls into place. That was O’Malley’s. ”
