UFC: Sean O’Malley breaks down potential Jake Paul fight – ‘that could be a pay-per-view of its own’
- UFC bantamweight star is impressed by YouTuber-turned-boxer’s rapid improvement
- O’Malley feels he has speed and timing advantage but admits Paul has more power
Sean O’Malley may give up around 50 pounds to Jake Paul, but the UFC bantamweight thinks he would have the advantage when it comes to speed and timing if they ever stepped into the ring.
The 27-year-old “Sugar” (15-1) was asked by guest Mike Majlak on his podcast how a potential fight would go with the YouTuber-turned-boxer, who is undefeated as a professional.
“I will say Jake probably has more power than me maybe, just for a straight hit,” O’Malley said on The Timbo and Sugar Show. “He’s quite a bit [of a] bigger guy.
“When it comes to speed I probably take that. When it comes to timing, I’ve been training for 11 years, he’s been training for three. I’m very, very, very impressed how good he’s got in such a short amount of time.”
The 24-year-old “Problem Child” shook up the world of MMA in 2021 by knocking out former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley this month, having also sent former Bellator and ONE Championship title-holder Ben Askren down to the canvas in April.
He has since begged UFC president White to let him “embarrass” the promotion further by letting him fight high-profile stars like Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal.
O’Malley is unlikely to ever feature on Paul’s hit list, however, give the size discrepancy and that they appear to be on good terms.
“Let’s say he’s 200 pounds walking around. I walk around 154, 155 right now. [Expletive], it’s a tough question,” O’Malley added.
“I don’t think I could personally knock out Tyron Woodley, if me and Tyron boxed. I love Jake by the way, everyone knows.
“I’m very hard to hit. I don’t like getting hit in the head, and I’ve acquired a very slick defensive style. That could be a [expletive] pay-per-view of its own.”
