Dana White claims Sean O’Malley is ‘not ready’ for ranked opponents: ‘You guys wanna throw him to the wolves’
Sean O’Malley won’t be fighting any ranked opponent anytime soon, according to UFC president, Dana White.
O’Malley has been criticized for fighting unranked opponents and he has even called himself the unranked champ. Yet, for White, he doesn’t think “Suga” is ready to take this massive step up in competition or be thrown to the wolves.
“He’s not ready,” White told Barstool Sports (via MMAFighting). “You guys wanna throw him to the wolves. You don’t move somebody that fast unless they’re Khamzat Chimaev. Khamzat is a guy you’ll feel comfortable moving that fast. I mean, O’Malley just lost a couple of fights ago to (Marlon Vera). So, talking about bigger fights and all that sh*t, this is a tough fight for him on Saturday night. In his last fight, he looked incredible, he put on a clinic. I think because O’Malley’s so popular and whatever, you’re always gonna have the critics that give this kid sh*t.”
Sean O’Malley is set to return to the Octagon this Saturday on the main card of UFC 269 against Raulian Paiva. Should he win that fight, many expect him to fight a top-15 opponent next, but Dana White is still unsure. Instead, they are looking to build up Suga.
“He’s a tough kid, he’s fun, he’s exciting to watch,” White said. “But he’s making his way the way you’re supposed to. You don’t just turn O’Malley around and throw him in there against killers. That’s not how it works.”
O’Malley is coming off a TKO win over Kris Moutinho at UFC 264 and prior to that, he returned to the win column with a vicious KO win over Thomas Almeida. Before that, he suffered his first pro loss by first-round TKO to Marlon Vera in a fight he hurt his leg in. He also holds a notable KO win over Eddie Wineland in his career.
