Opinion: No Favors for O’Malley

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

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When this article comes out, it will be a few days before UFC 316. Typically, there’s a buzz around pay-per-view events as the UFC has done reasonably well at making sure every one is reasonably stacked. That isn’t to say some aren’t more stacked than others, but there are usually two title fights and if there aren’t, the co-main event is usually a high-stakes affair that fans have been clamoring for. Thus, there’s typically an excitement in the air. That excitement is lacking for UFC 316.

Given one of the UFC’s golden boys is headlining, that shouldn’t be the case. Especially since Sean O'Malley is one of their golden boys because they believe he can be a star, there really should be a major buzz in the air. Instead, it’s motor-mouthed Julianna Pena trying to get a rise out of challenger Kayla Harrison in the co-main event that is sucking up all the air. Say what you will about Pena’s in-cage abilities, she knows how to make fans anxious to see her get shut up. O’Malley has done nothing to make us want to watch him try to regain his belt from Merab Dvalishvili.

If I’m being fair to the former champion, this isn’t all his fault. The UFC made a huge miscalculation regarding O’Malley. The promotion seems to believe he’s a star, granting him an immediate rematch against Dvalishvili despite a less than extensive reign as champion. That's an honor typically reserved for those who’ve produced historic championship reigns or who lose their titles in close or controversial contests. I have to say “typically” as there is the third category that produces a universal groan from the MMA fanbase: promotional favorites who are less than deserving by traditional standards.

Take for example the man whom O’Malley beat for the bantamweight title, Aljamain Sterling. Sterling holds the UFC record for consecutive title defenses in the bantamweight division. That was enough for Stipe Miocic to get an immediate rematch at heavyweight, but not for Sterling. In Sterling’s case, every one of his defenses came against a previous champion, further adding to his resume. But the UFC never seemed to care for Sterling and didn’t even consider an immediate rematch. In fact, given the quick turnaround Sterling had from his last successful defense to when he faced O’Malley, most believe the UFC was trying to set Sterling up to fail.

O’Malley’s first defense came against Marlon Vera, someone whom nobody in the MMA world believed was the legitimate top contender. Vera was coming off a win over a fading Pedro Munhoz while Dvalishvili’s win streak was at nine at that point. Vera only got the shot because he had an earlier win over O’Malley. O’Malley put on a showcase in that successful defense, but it was tainted by the fact few saw Vera as a worthy challenger. That defense was granted to him as a favor by the UFC. When he finally faced the consensus top contender in Dvalishvili, he lost the belt. And now he’s getting another favor by not needing to win another fight before he gets another shot at the belt?

What makes it even worse is this isn’t an immediate rematch for Dvalishvili; he successfully defended his belt against Umar Nurmagomedov, extending his win streak to 12. There's no difficulty in promoting Dvalishvili. Mention the win streak, mention the names in that streak—O’Malley, Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, Jose Aldo—and point out that he’s a fighting champion. Dvalishvili may not be the most aesthetically pleasing champion, but he’s a fighting champion for sure. Given O’Malley did nothing in the interim and the first fight wasn’t particularly close, how do they promote O’Malley?

That very much came to light during the UFC’s most recent Apex card. In an attempt to promote the upcoming fight, O’Malley talked about how badly he wants his belt back. What has he done to prove it? He stopped coloring his hair and gave up weed and social media. My colleague Keith Shillan summed it up perfectly on the Shillan and Duffy show: he became an adult. He didn’t want the belt badly enough to go out and fight anyone else to prove he deserves it. He didn’t put his body on the line – which is essential in this line of work – but he did take plenty of time to rest and mature while Dvalishvili proved what a badass he is.

If the UFC is looking to build O’Malley into a star, it is going about it the wrong way. If anything, the clear favoritism towards O’Malley is turning people off. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin didn’t become the biggest name in professional wrestling because the Vince McMahon character was coddling him the way the UFC has coddled O’Malley. Austin became the biggest name because he blew up each and every obstacle put in his way in spite of McMahon’s best efforts.

Besides that, if O’Malley was going to be a star, wouldn’t he already be one? Some will argue that he is. And while I acknowledge O’Malley has something unique about him, what he has doesn’t appear to be it. He’s not anywhere near McGregor’s level. Some might say it’s unfair to compare him to the largest star MMA has ever seen. Fair, but he’s not on the same level as Ilia Topuria, either. Or where Khabib Nurmagomedov got. Or Max Holloway. O’Malley has the look and feel of someone who should be a star, but I don’t get the feeling he is. It feels more like the UFC expects him to be a star because they’re telling us he’s a star.

That isn’t to say O’Malley doesn’t have his fans. He does have a sizeable following. That isn’t to say he isn’t talented either. I’m not discounting his abilities; he was champion after all. But being a star is something that is earned and the UFC is so desperate to give him that status that his “star” status feels artificial. The fact the UFC doesn’t give out information on PPV buys anymore doesn’t help their case either. O’Malley’s contest being overshadowed by Pena and Harrison in terms of coverage this week is further proof he isn’t the bee’s knees either.

By giving O’Malley star treatment before he was truly a star, the UFC has dimmed his glow and will continue to limit his shine as long as they continue to cater to him. No one likes the spoiled brat and that’s what the UFC has turned O’Malley into. If only they realized they weren’t doing him any favors by granting him so many favors.