Sean O’Malley was delighted to find out his relationship with Conor McGregor had improved, even though he wasn`t initially aware it had happened.
The former bantamweight champion earned praise from his idol, McGregor, after being spotted watching their 2016 rematch against Nate Diaz in a YouTube video. McGregor was pleased to be featured and tweeted his support for O`Malley before UFC 316.
This positive turn follows a challenging few years for the pair, whose relationship had been strained. The former two-weight world champion had previously criticized O`Malley regarding his past issues with USADA. However, it appears they have recently reconnected on better terms.
O’Malley Reacts to McGregor’s Viral Support Message
A key part of Sean O’Malley’s preparations for UFC 316 involved stepping away from social media alongside other pre-fight lifestyle changes. As a result, he didn’t see McGregor’s reaction to the video showing him watching the second McGregor-Diaz fight during his training camp.
When asked about the tweet at the UFC 316 media day, O’Malley had to be informed of what McGregor had said. He seemed visibly pleased by the quote, responding: “I’ll forever be a huge Conor fan.
He added: “I feel grateful to have been able to watch his come-up during my generation; we saw it happen. I think we’ll look back and say he had one of the craziest careers, so it’s cool to be able to watch it unfold while I was getting into the UFC and everything. I’m pumped the relationship is back to good.”
O’Malley Watched McGregor vs. Diaz 2 for Inspiration
A moment that gained significant attention leading up to his recent world title rematch was O’Malley being seen watching one of Conor McGregor’s most famous fights. This was part of a series of rematches he reviewed to draw inspiration for his second attempt at a world title.
“We just have cameras recording so much that I didn’t realize that was a moment that got captured,” he explained. “I’ve been watching a bunch of fights, watching some rematches, Chuck Liddell vs Randy Couture was one.
“I’ve never watched Chuck Liddell fights before; I obviously knew who he was, but I had never seen the fights. I’ve been watching a lot of old-school fights which has been cool.”
“I’ve always taken inspiration from Conor’s fights. I’ve watched Conor’s fights more than probably anyone else’s, except maybe my own.”
