UFC veteran Chael Sonnen was recently in quite a disruptive mood. He made some bold claims about some of the top contenders in the sport. Count in Sean OโMalley and Conor McGregor. Sonnen declared Sean OโMalley as the โbiggest starโ in MMA. Here is what happened:
Chael Sonnen recently sat down for another video on his YouTube channel. There he declared the bantamweight champion to be the biggest star in the sport. That would mean โSugaโ surpassed even Conor McGregor, whom many still consider to be the face of the sport. However, the former UFC icon had good reasons to make this bold statement.ย
OโMalley is the biggest star in our sport right now. And โRed Panty Nightโ is still real. Conorโs not in the sport, heโs not even licensed. Conor could not walk in and fight tonight if he wanted to.
Chael Sonnen on his YouTube channel
Sonnen made these comments in light of OโMalleyโs rising popularity and recent success.ย Especially, after he won the UFC bantamweight title by knocking out Aljamain Sterling. Sonnen noted that while McGregor remains a huge name, he hasnโt fought since 2021. Therefore, his involvement in the sport has waned. Sonnen said that the Irishman has no more of a claim to the sport right now than retired icons like Georges St-Pierre or Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In contrast, OโMalley is currently active, drawing significant attention both inside and outside the octagon. Sonnen emphasized that OโMalleyโs growing stardom is not just due to his performances in the cage but also his charisma and work ethic outside of it. All of these together have positioned him as a leading figure in the sport today.
Netizens react to Chael Sonnen declaring Sean OโMalley as the โbiggest starโ in MMA
Chael Sonnenโs comments about the bold claim of โSugaโ being a bigger star than โThe Notoriousโ have shocked the internet. People went to the comment section to share their views and opinions on the subject. Here are some of the reactions from X:
People on the internet had some interesting reactions to Sonnenโs comments. Some agreed with the UFC veteran, citing McGregorโs long-drawn inactivity. Others pointed to โThe Notoriousโs sky-high PPV numbers. It is important to note that Conor McGregor is still ahead in terms of overall PPV sales compared to Sean OโMalley. McGregorโs star power, especially from events like UFC 229 against Khabib Nurmagomedov and UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier, has set records that OโMalley has not yet matched.
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