"Only Insanely Big Superstar In The Sport": Sean O’Malley Makes Bold Claim About Conor McGregor’s Unmatched Stardom In The UFC

Sean O’Malley makes bold claim about Conor McGregor© Instagram/ sugasean

Sean O'Malley has picked the one fighter he thinks stands alone in MMA fame. Speaking on Bradley Martyn's Raw Talk podcast, the former bantamweight champion put Conor McGregor above every active star in the UFC, Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria included. The comments come months after McGregor's return at UFC 329 ended in 69 seconds. A knee injury stopped his July fight with Max Holloway, his first in five years. O'Malley still sees the Irishman as the sport's biggest name, and his answer left little room for debate.

Why Does Sean O'Malley Call Conor McGregor MMA's Only Superstar?

Sean O'Malley sees fame in MMA as a ladder, and Conor McGregor sits alone on the top rung. Asked to pinpoint it, he did not hesitate.

“It's hard to really pinpoint that because there's the super f**ing star, like Conor McGregor. He might be the only insanely big superstar in the sport. Then you've got Paddy, Ilia. There are superstars, but I feel like they're all still under Conor.”

Former two-division champion Alex Pereira got the same treatment. O'Malley placed him below McGregor too. In his view, popularity alone does not make a superstar. A fighter has to perform inside the Octagon as well.

The July result did not change his mind. O'Malley still wants to see the Irishman back in the cage, and he spoke about him with something close to awe.

“Conor's something we've never seen before. He's up there. He's the best. God, dude. I hope he comes back.”

Sean O'Malley Backs Song Yadong To Beat Merab Dvalishvili

The 32-year-old has never claimed to share that level of fame. Ahead of his UFC 316 rematch with Merab Dvalishvili in 2025, he told the Full Send podcast he once wanted to be as big as McGregor but no longer believed he could. He called the Irishman “once in a lifetime.”

O'Malley still knows what a big profile can do. He has said he built his social media following to attract sponsors and raise his earnings, though he thinks his knockout power would have made him a name anyway. The attention paid off in 2022, when he landed a fight with No. 1-ranked Petr Yan while sitting around No. 11. O'Malley won that night at UFC 280 in a close fight.

Now the 20-3 fighter wants Yan again. The champion recently retained his bantamweight title at UFC 333, and O'Malley called a rematch “the biggest fight bantamweight history.” He is confident he is the man to dethrone Yan, but he gives credit where it is due.

“He's probably up there pound-for-pound No. 1.”

If O'Malley gets his shot, he expects Dvalishvili and Song Yadong to meet next. He likes Song's chances too.

“If Song and Merab fight next, Song could definitely win,” he added.