Sean O’Malley believes he’ll steal the headlines from Canelo Alvarez after their respective Sept. 14 battles.
O’Malley defends his bantamweight title in opposition to Merab Dvalishvili in the principle occasion of UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas, whereas Alvarez faces Edgar Berlanga on his personal Mexican Independence Day card simply down the street at T-Cell Area.
Though there’s a whole lot of emphasis on the head-to-head between UFC and considered one of boxing’s huge stars, O’Malley sees it as a enjoyable problem — and plans to let his efficiency make the waves all through the next week.
“I say this each battle, and I’ll in all probability proceed to say it, however I’m so f*cking excited for this battle,” O’Malley stated on his YouTube channel. “I wasn’t really excited for the [Aljamain Sterling] battle, I used to be f*cking pressured about that battle — simply due to my rib, my coaching camp wasn’t one of the best, it was good for what we had.
“This battle, I really feel good as f*ck. I really feel like I really like this matchup, he’s acquired a 10-fight win streak, it’s a giant battle, on the Sphere, in competitors with boxing.
“I don’t know, it provides just a little layer of … in the case of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, who’re they speaking about? Are they speaking about Canelo? Are they speaking in regards to the boxing battle? Or are they speaking in regards to the absolute dominating, lovely, masterful, masterclass efficiency I placed on Merab — and the viral knockout that got here with it? Or are they speaking a couple of 36-minute Canelo boxing battle that was sort of hearth?”
O’Malley stopped Sterling within the second spherical at UFC 292 in August 2023 to win the belt, and placed on a clinic in his first title protection in opposition to the extraordinarily sturdy Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in March.
After beating former champ Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 in February, Dvalishvili lastly will get his shot at UFC gold for the primary time in considered one of UFC’s most closely promoted occasion at Sphere — a location UFC CEO Dana White says he’ll solely go to only one time.
O’Malley is prepared for the opponent and the highlight.
“That’s what excites me, just like the competitors of who’re they speaking about Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,” O’Malley stated. “Who stole the headlines? [It’ll be] me.
“5 weeks out, it’s loopy.”
