Sean O’Malley Explains Why Conor McGregor Is Still MMA’s Only True Superstar
Sean O’Malley believes no fighter in today’s UFC has matched Conor McGregor’s fame.
The former bantamweight champion made the comments during his latest appearance on Bradley Martyn’s Raw Talk podcast. His remarks come just months after McGregor’s long-awaited return to the Octagon. “The Notorious” headlined UFC 329 against Max Holloway in July. This was his first fight in five years. However, the comeback lasted only 69 seconds, as a knee injury brought the bout to an early stop.
Sean O’Malley Names Conor McGregor as MMA’s Only “Insanely Big Superstar”
"Suga" feels that there are different levels of stardom in MMA, and McGregor sits at the top of that list. He said:
“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.”
Along with Pimblett and Topuria, O’Malley also placed former two-division champion Alex Pereira below McGregor. In his view, popularity alone is not enough to make a superstar, as a fighter also has to perform inside the Octagon.
Despite the setback at UFC 329, O’Malley still holds McGregor in high regard and wants to see him back in the Octagon:
“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 Knows What Star Power Can Do
O’Malley has never claimed to be on McGregor’s level. Back in 2025, ahead of his UFC 316 rematch with Merab Dvalishvili, he told the Full Send podcast that he once wanted to be as big as McGregor but no longer believed he could. He described the Irishman as “once in a lifetime.”
That said, the 32-year-old understands how much fame matters in the game. During the same podcast, O'Malley revealed that he built his social media following only to attract sponsors and boost his earnings, although he thinks that his knockout power would have made him a star even if social media did not exist.
O'Malley claims his popularity has already earned him a huge opportunity when his star power helped him land a fight with No. 1-ranked Petr Yan in 2022, when he was only ranked around No. 11.
For now, “Suga” wants a potential rematch with Petr Yan, who has recently retained his bantamweight title at UFC 333. O’Malley called it “the biggest fight bantamweight history.”
