Sean O’Malley thinks Alexander Volkanovski has the best chance to beat Islam Makhachev.
Makhachev is looking to defend his UFC lightweight title for the first time at UFC 284. The Russian will take on reigning featherweight champion Volkanovski, who is underrated despite being the number one pound-for-pound fighter. During the episode The BrOMalley ShowO’Malley had this to say about the Feb. 11 155-pound title fight:
“What I was trying to say about Alexander Volkanovski, he has mastered his style. It is lower, it is compact. Will they be able to take it down and keep it? You would assume yes if you watched Islamic fights. You would think, ok, why would Alexander Volkanovsky be able to stop Islam, but I think if anyone can do it, it’s Alexander Volkanovsky. I think that if anyone can defeat Islam, it’s me or Alexander Volkanovski. Just kidding, cool…”
Volkanovski is well-respected in the MMA community, but there is a weight increase coming up against the Russian savage. Makhachev lost his first fight in 2015 and has since won eleven straight UFC fights. ‘The Big One’ looks to end his winning streak by pulling off a turnaround in Perth, Australia.
Watch Sean O’Malley discuss the Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovsky match below:
Sean O’Malley says he’s the superstar the UFC needs
Sean O’Malley lived up to his hype with a victory over Peter Yan at UFC 280. Although the split decision was controversial, O’Malley is one step closer to fighting for the UFC bantamweight world championship. During the same episode of the podcast, ‘Sugar’ had this to say about being the superstar the UFC needs:
“The UFC needs a superstar right now. They got Jon Jones, but he’s getting older and he’s not guaranteed to get a fight (at UFC 285). I think he will… Paddy (Pimblett) said: ‘Could it be?’ We then see his final fight, now going into surgery. There is still potential. He could still be a huge superstar. The only person I can think of is ‘The Sugar Show’ who has the potential to be that f***.”
O’Malley hopes to use his star power to secure a title shot in his next outing. Current champion Aljamain Sterling is expected to next defend his throne against Henry Cejudo, but there is no official date yet. ‘Sugar’ plans to wait and fight the winner later in the year.