Sean O'Malley explains impact of "inspirational" Floyd Mayweather on UFC career

04 January 2023 , 14:52

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Sean O'Malley explains impact of "inspirational" Floyd Mayweather on UFC career

Sean O'Malley has revealed Floyd Mayweather's work ethic has inspired him in his UFC career.

O'Malley is viewed as one of the brightest prospects on the UFC roster and continued his sharp rise with a controversial win over leading contender Petr Yan last October. This could now see him in contention for a shot at the division champion Aljamain Sterling, who has yet to confirm his next outing since he retained his title with a win over TJ Dillashaw on the same card.

'Suga' has just one loss to his name, against Marlon Vera, but believes he will be able to avenge the loss while conquering the division. And the rising star has admitted he is looking to himself retire with 50 wins on his record in a similar way to the boxing legend. He said on his TimboSugarShow : "I was watching a bunch of Floyd stuff, but that mother****er would train like three or four times a day, like an hour at a time.

"Hit the bags, but constantly having his heart rate probably - I don't know, nothing spiked, maybe too crazy, but you see him hit mitts, hit the bag. Dude, it's so f****ng sweet. 50-0, retired at the top, didn't lose. It's inspirational. Didn't get knocked out. Had some hard fights. Fought the best guys. Just his work ethic.

"You don't get 50-0, you don't become Floyd without a crazy work ethic. It's constantly running, hitting the bag, hitting mitts, but it's like that mother****er had chicks around him all day when he wasn't so he found balance. He has some serious genes, some serious athletic genes."

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Mayweather retired from boxing as an undefeated professional having reigned as world champion in five weight classes. He has since continued to fight in the ring despite being retired from the competitive ranks, instead competing in exhibition contests at the age of 45.

Sean O'Malley defeated leading contender Petr Yan in October (AFP via Getty Images)

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The boxing legend has fought the likes of YouTube stars Deji and Logan Paul, while also duelling with Japanese pair Mikuru Asakura and Tenshin Nasukawa. It is expected he will continue to fight several times in a non competitive fashion in 2023, and has even revealed his plans to fight on domestic shores for the first time.

“A bout is planned in the UK for 2023," he told The Telegraph when discussing his plans for the coming year. "In February we’re looking forward to coming here and putting on an exhibition for the fans in the UK, because I’ve never had a chance to come over here and fight when I was actively boxing as a professional – so hopefully in February I’ll come over and do an exhibition if it’s possible."

Ben Davies