‘I think he realised what he said was stupid’: UFC champ Sean O’Malley on feud with Conor McGregor

In May, McGregor went on a social media tirade, blasting boxer Ryan Garcia after he tested positive for the banned substance ostarine following an impressive win over Devin Haney. During the same rant, O’Malley found himself caught in the crossfire when McGregor mentioned him alongside Garcia, due to O’Malley's own positive test for ostarine in 2019.

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Sean O'Malley addresses Conor McGregor's comments

A few weeks later, McGregor retracted some of his comments during a live stream, stating, "I like Sean O’Malley" and explaining that O’Malley "kind of got caught in the crosshairs" while he was venting about Garcia’s situation.

Although O’Malley mentioned that he hashed things out with McGregor privately, he still hasn’t spoken directly to the former two-division UFC champion. Despite their current tension, O’Malley remains a fan of McGregor.

“I jokingly on my podcast said we talked, we’re good,” O’Malley told MMA Fighting. “I haven’t talked to him since.

“I’ll forever be a massive Conor fan. The biggest fan, watched his career play out, watched every single interview possible. I learned a ton from him. He’s a legend. That’s it. It is what it is.”

O’Malley believes McGregor regretted his unprovoked social media attack, which is why the tweet was eventually deleted. Despite McGregor's attempt to justify his comments by pointing out that O’Malley had tested positive for the same substance as Garcia, there was no real reason to target him, other than his high profile at the time.

For his part, O’Malley isn't spending much time worrying about McGregor's remarks, nor is he holding a grudge.

“I tried [to hate him]. I was like f*ck Conor, but it is what it is,” O’Malley said. “I think he realized what he said was stupid. I don’t know why he tried putting me and Ryan Garcia in the same category, saying Ryan Garcia missed weight and it made him mad about me. It just didn’t make sense.

“I think he kind of realized what he said was stupid and then just backed himself into a corner.”