O'Malley On Bantamweight GOAT Status

Sean O'Malley wants to be recognized as the bantamweight GOAT when his career wraps up.

The 31-year-old former UFC champion, who defended his belt once before losing to Merab Dvalishvili, told UFC on Paramount+ that cementing himself as an all-time great now drives him. O'Malley pointed to his wins over Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan as proof he belongs in the conversation with the division's best.

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O'Malley's Path To GOAT Status At Bantamweight

"It's always hard to say who's the GOAT, who's this, who's that?" O'Malley said, per BJPenn.com. "Looking back on my career, it's like Aljamain Sterling was the GOAT until I knocked him out. And now Petr Yan can be considered the GOAT, I beat him." He added that Dvalishvili, with three title defenses, sits in the mix alongside Yan and Sterling as the top three.

O'Malley said he needs a decisive rematch win over Yan at UFC 333 to build his case. He also mentioned future matchups with Dvalishvili, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Cory Sandhagen as key opportunities. "There's so much greatness yet to be achieve that I feel like I still can accomplish, so there's the motivation for greatness," he said.

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O'Malley, who stands 20-3 with one no contest, is coming off a knockout of Aiemann Zahabi. His next shot at reclaiming the belt could come later this year if he beats Yan on Oct. 24.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Sean O’Malley believes he’ll be the bantamweight GOAT by the time his career is over: ‘Motivation for greatness’