Sean O’Malley is pleased that his connection with Conor McGregor has been rekindled, even if he initially didn`t realize it had happened.
The former bantamweight champion earned praise from his long-time idol, McGregor, after being seen watching their 2016 rematch against Nate Diaz in a YouTube video. McGregor, appreciating the nod, tweeted his support for O’Malley before UFC 316.
This positive turn follows a challenging period in their relationship over recent years. The former two-division world champion had previously voiced criticism of O’Malley concerning his past issues with USADA. However, it now seems their friendship has been repaired.
O`Malley Reacts to McGregor`s Viral Message
As part of his preparations for UFC 316, Sean O’Malley stepped away from social media, alongside other lifestyle adjustments. Consequently, he missed seeing Conor McGregor`s reactions to the video showing him watching the McGregor-Diaz 2 fight during his training camp.
When asked about the tweet by Bloody Elbow at UFC 316 media day, O’Malley had to be informed about what McGregor had said. He appeared genuinely happy upon hearing the quote, responding, “I’ll forever be a huge Conor fan.
“I feel grateful to be able to watch his come-up in my generation, we watched it happen. I think we’ll look back and say he had one of the craziest careers so it’s cool to be able to watch it happen while I was getting into the UFC and everything. I’m pumped the relationship is back to good.”
Sean O’Malley Watched McGregor vs. Diaz 2 as Preparation
The moment that went viral in the build-up to O`Malley`s title rematch this Saturday was him being spotted watching one of Conor McGregor’s most renowned fights. He explained that this was just one of several rematch bouts he watched to find inspiration for his own second shot at a world title.
“We just have cameras recording so much that I didn’t realize that was a moment that got captured,” he told Bloody Elbow. “I’ve been watching a bunch of fights, watching some rematches, Chuck Liddell vs Randy Couture was one.”
“I’ve never watched Chuck Liddell fights, I obviously knew who he was but I had never watched the fights. I’ve been watching a lot of old school fights which has been cool.
“I’ve always taken inspiration from Conor fights. I’ve watched Conor fights more than probably anyone except maybe my fights.”
Jack Thornley