Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, will take part in his first-ever main event at UFC Abu Dhabi this weekend. The fighter will go against Cory Sandhagen, and the winner will probably fight for the title against Sean O’Malley. As it turns out, Nurmagomedov is one of the biggest critics of O’Malley’s championship reign.
Sean O’Malley became the champion by defeating Aljamain Sterling via TKO at UFC 292. Seven months later, he successfully defended his title against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. O’Malley is one of the most active champions in the promotion. However, according to Umar Nurmagomedov, O’Malley lacks the personality. In a recent interview, the undefeated fighter mocked the champion for acting like a clown.
I’m ashamed we have Sean O’Malley [as a] champion. Men have to be different… you have to be good example for young generation and you have to do something like men, not like clown.
Umar Nurmagomedov via Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel
Nurmagomedov explained that he and O’Malley come from different backgrounds. As a result, he has values that are different from those of the champion. O’Malley has a fun personality that revolves around smoking weed, being flamboyant, and earning loads of money. The undefeated fighter makes fun skits on the internet to entertain his fans and continues to do so inside the octagon.
‘Suga’ has established himself as a huge superstar and is loved by the fans and Dana White. The promotion trusts his ability to sell pay-per-view and has pushed him from time to time. A recent example is putting him as the headliner for the mega Las Vegas Sphere event. At the Sphere, O’Malley will defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili. However, his coach is looking past it to the future.
Sean O’Malley’s coach confirms Umar Nurmagomedov is the better choice for the fighter to defend his belt
Umar Nurmagomedov hasn’t fought anybody ranked in the UFC and has directly got the shot to fight the #2 Cory Sandhagen. With O’Malley defending his title later, it won’t be surprising to see him defending his belt against one of those two. O’Malley vs. Nurmagomedov has been discussed as the next Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Sean O’Malley vs. Umar Nurmagomedov would be huge according to the coach (via Imago)
Recently, in a podcast, O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, thought about the best possible matchup for ‘Suga.’ The thought process revolved around who among Umar and Sandhagen could give O’Malley a blockbuster fight. Welch leaned towards Nurmagomedov over the ‘Sandman.’
Think about it, a Nurmagomedov who’s 18-0 with Sean [O’Malley]. That is gonna sell. Let’s say Cory or Umar, Which one is gonna be a BIGGER fight? Probably Umar.
Tim Welch via his Youtube channel
Sean O’Malley vs. Umar Nurmagomedov is the ideal next matchup due to the Nurmagomedovs having a huge fanbase in Russia🤔
“Think about it, a Nurmagomedov who’s 18-0 with Sean [O’Malley]. That is gonna sell.”
“Let’s say Cory or Umar, Which one is gonna be a BIGGER fight? Probably… pic.twitter.com/zsOt5gzzmi
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 1, 2024
O’Malley has himself talked about fighting Nurmagomedov due to his connection with Khabib Nurmagomedov and his popularity. Recently, Nurmagomedov mentioned that his rivalry with O’Malley will not beat the Conor-Khabib one. However, it would be a massive fight nonetheless. With anticipations rising around the corner, fans are excited to see the main event this weekend live from Abu Dhabi.
!
